Danish games firm IO Interactive is opening a brand new studio in Brighton in the UK.

The new venture is initially going to be focused on the developer's RPG title, Project Fantasy, though it will start to work on the James Bond game Project 007 as it expands. IO Brighton is currently a small team, but is set to expand.

"We have had this strategy for a while, from before coronavirus times, to meet talent where they are," CEO Hakan Abrak (pictured) told GI.biz. "But not just hiring freelancers around the world, but opening studios where we think the ideal conditions are there, in terms of an attractive location, with lots of talent and lots of potential.

"All of these cities [we've opened in] have something special to offer. They're all beautiful, they're all by the sea – all of them – apparently that's a thing [laughs]. They're dynamic cities that you want to live in. But also, they have a lot of potential with either established triple-A talent, or they have an upcoming talent pool. Brighton is both. Brighton has a bright future in the video games industry. It's something that will continue to expand. But it does already have a deep existing ecosystem of developers. There are over 22 studios in Brighton, and Creative Assembly is just north of it, and that's a huge developer."

This follows IO Interactive opening studios in Istanbul, Malmö and Barcelona.