IO Interactive, the studio behind Hitman, has terminated its collaboration with mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor after a Dublin civil court ruled he was liable for a sexual assault that occurred in 2018.
Last week, McGregor was ordered to pay approximately 250,000 euros (about $257,000) to the accuser in a civil lawsuit. Prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges in this case, leading McGregor to dismiss the allegations as “full of lies.”
“In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately,” the studio announced on X. “We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications.”
The associated downloadable content (DLC) has been removed from sale, and any related video content has been taken down from YouTube.
In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all…
— HITMAN (@Hitman) November 25, 2024
The former UFC champion has a long history of controversies involving alcohol, driving offenses, and other public incidents that predate his collaboration with IO Interactive on the World of Assassination DLC. He has been arrested in the past, including a notable incident in Florida where he was charged for allegedly assaulting a fan. Although charges were dropped, he also pleaded guilty to assault in 2019 for an altercation at a Dublin pub.
Hitman 3 evolved into Hitman: World of Assassination in 2023, with IO Interactive introducing DLC featuring various celebrities as elusive targets. In this content, McGregor portrayed a character known as The Disruptor, an affluent MMA fighter who comes into conflict with a tech CEO, leading to Agent 47 being tasked with eliminating him. Participants gained access to exclusive cosmetic items, including the iconic fur coat and a cane, alongside a two-level Arcade contract called The Ostentatious.
