In 2018, Cosmo visited Copenhagen for the very first time. Now, he’s the Game Director for Project 007. In that short time, Denmark’s capital city has had a hugely positive impression.

“Copenhagen is, to me, a happy place. It’s incredibly beautiful, it’s friendly, it’s clean and unhurried. It’s amazing how open and accessible the city is to non-Danish speakers. Everything works, and nearly everything runs on time. It’s a pleasure to work and live in such a place.”

Cosmo is originally from Scotland, but has lived in London and the North of England as well as working across four different continents as a Commercials and Short-form Film Director. It’s no surprise then that he travelled around quite a bit when deciding to move to Copenhagen.

“My wife travelled with me, and over six months we stayed in five very different neighbourhoods: Frederiksberg, Norrebro, Amager, Rodovre and Dragor, getting a sense of what it’s like nearer Copenhagen’s centre, but also in its suburbs. These were all good experiences, but we loved being further out and near the beach and the forest, so we live a little further away – about 35km from the city. And yet it only takes me forty-five minutes to get to work in the morning—pretty amazing.”

Relocating from the UK was a smooth process for Cosmo and his wife – and his pets, eventually! There wasn’t a lot of things that came with them, but there was room for their two pets, who were packed into big wooden crates and flown over separately. Cosmo has assured us that both pets; Carlos, “our big naughty dog” and Madam Presidente “the best cat in the world” both got a lot of attention on the train ride to their new home.

With everyone and their dog (and cat!) settled in to their new surroundings, Cosmo’s had time to know the city and it’s people a lot more over the last few years.

“People say that Denmark is a very trusting place, and I think that’s true. There’s also a charming, specific kind of quirkiness here—kind of silly, but very genuine. You know it when you see it—someone will ride past in a cargo bike with a dog wearing a little cycling helmet, and you’ll think, ‘Well, that’s Copenhagen…’

It’s also a fantastic place to explore on foot and the weather is much better than I expected—the summers are warmer than my experience of the UK.”

’s also a fantastic place to explore on foot and the weather is much better than I expected—the summers are warmer than my experience of the UK.”

IO Interactive has had a studio in Copenhagen for the last 20 years. Most recently, in November 2016, we opened the doors to our new, ultra-modern development studio in the very heart of central Copenhagen. It’s fully-equipped with an on-site motion capture studio, canteen and kitchen plus a whole variety of spaces for all different kinds of work. We’ve named our meeting rooms named after our games, made sure to have some chill-out areas and everything else we might need for day-to-day work is never far away.

For Cosmo in particular, it’s been an eventful first few years at IOI.

 

“There’s always a lot going on: I’ve been involved in four different projects here in different capacities during the last two and a half years. I was the Cinematic Director for HITMAN 2 and nowadays I’m the Game Director for Project 007, which means I am overseeing the creative and gameplay vision for this exciting and hugely ambitious game.

I also work with my friends, so I get to spend most of my time with more than a hundred people who I get a real kick out of hanging out with.”

After moving to Copenhagen and having settled in over the last few years, Cosmo is representing Scotland as one of 30+ nationalities that are now working at IO Interactive, either at our Copenhagen studio or our Malmö studio that was opened in 2019.

With so many expats working with us, we know what’s needed to make the process as smooth as possible. We’re pretty fortunate in that Copenhagen is a pretty great place to be.

“Don’t be afraid to ask strangers for help, either: whether it’s a train announcement or directions to a nearby place, most people are really friendly and happy to help. It’s amazing how open and accessible the city is to non-Danish speakers. Everything works, and nearly everything runs on time.”

If you want to know more about Project 007, working at IOI, our relocation packages, or even just browse our open positions, we’ve made that easy. Thanks to Cosmo for sharing his stories with us!

If you want to know more about HITMAN 3, Working in Malmö, our relocation packages or just browse our open positions, we’ve made that easy.