When IO Interactive became independent in 2017, they attracted a lot of interest from companies wanting to buy them out. According to IGN, of the many propositions these companies had, one of them was to make Hitman a free-to-play game, but this didn’t align with IO’s own vision of their game’s future. Instead the studio remained independent and grew the franchise themselves. The latest update to that franchise comes in the form of the Season of Greed roadmap for Hitman 3.
When IO Interactive was about to be dropped by Square Enix after they lost faith in the Hitman franchise, the developer debated whether to become independent or allow themselves to be bought out by another company. During that period, they discussed plans with suitable investors and their visions for the franchise. One of these ideas was to turn Hitman into a free-to-play game. As IO’s CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak explains: “I think free-to-play is very interesting, I think there are some really cool experiences that are fit for that, but the Hitman that we made in 2016 is not one of them.”
By remaining independent, the studio was able to “make fundamental decisions for the studio and our games, within our own halls.” Those visions included a change of direction with Hitman 2 as it moved away from the episodic format, before ending the World of Assassination trilogy with the hugely successful Hitman 3. The latter game continues to add free and premium content, having just introduced the Season of Greed that introduces the first part of the Seven Deadly Sins DLC plan. The developer has just revealed the free content roadmap for this season, which will end on May 10.
The free content begins on April 9 with the game’s third Elusive Target. The Collector will appear in Dartmoor for ten days until April 19. Later on in the month on April 23, The Politician will return to Hawke’s Bay until May 3 as the next Elusive Target. Because Hawke’s Bay is a free location within the Starter Pack at the moment, she will be available to all Hitman 3 players regardless of whether they own Hitman 2 or not.
On April 15, the free content continues with the first batch of Featured Contracts from Two Angry Gamers, each focusing on the theme of greed. The duo were the inspiration behind the Hammer Time challenge on the ICA Facility Final Test map, and will be creating their contract during a live Twitch stream today, April 8. They’ll be looking at Dubai and Dartmoor as potential locations. Towards the end of the season on May 6, the second batch of Featured Contracts will be released, this time from Achievement Hunter. They’ve previously had a lot of fun electrocuting many victims in a puddle in Paris. Their contract locations include Berlin, Mendoza, and Chongqing.
Speaking of Chongqing, this is the location for the final free content addition of the month, an Escalation known as The Jinzhen Incident. The targets will be located within the secure ICA facility, hidden beneath the streets of Chognqing, so prepare well. Concluding the month will be the game’s next major update, due on May 10. This will also prepare players for the next Season of Sin.
Those looking for something to do right now may want to check out the game’s first Seasonal Event, the Berlin Egg Hunt. This event only runs until April 12, so there’s just four more days to poison their targets with strategically placed eggs try to unlock the Raver Outfit.
[Source: IGN, IO Interactive]