So it appears that gamers may be getting a new Hitman installment at some point. Following the success of developer IO Interactive’s Hitman 2 in 2018 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, a statement from IO Interactive’s Hakan Abrak suggests that a Hitman 3 lies ahead.
In a documentary by Noclip called “The Fall & Rise of Hitman,” various members of IO Interactive are featured including CEO Hakan Abrak. In the documentary, Abrak asserts that what will be a Hitman trilogy, which started in 2016 with the episodic Hitman reboot, will be remembered and thought about collectively. He says:
“When that’s complete, it’s gonna be one game with all the locations starting from Paris in Hitman 1 to the last location in Hitman 3.”
Abrak added that Hitman 3, like the first game in the reboot trilogy, will be episodic in nature.
Back to its roots
The last fact may have big implications for the series and for the industry in general. As mentioned previously, the first Hitman game had an episodic format, with each episode featuring one real-life location. These locations included the aforementioned Paris, Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado, and Hokkaido. The idea that Hitman 3 is returning to this format suggests that fans are fond of the short but sweet ethic and don’t mind receiving content from one game section at a time.
This tends to imply that more developers may warm up to this method of game development and release. The episode subgenre’s roots can be traced back to multiple games from the early 2010s, including that of Resident Evil: Revelations 2, which was originally released on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. It was eventually re-released on Nintendo Switch in 2017 as well.
Will gaming follow in television’s footsteps?
If the third game in the beloved stealth-action game trilogy brings back the episodic nature, as Abrak asserts, then it signifies that publishers may insist on that format. Life is Strange by Square Enix was also renowned for its episodic characteristic and was widely enjoyed by gamers. By having entire bits of content trickle down to eager players, it keeps gamers wondering what’s next and allows them to thoroughly savor the episodes one by one. As such, many developers may take note and follow suit from here on out.
Hitman 3 currently has no target release date. Given the 2016 release of the reboot’s first episode, as well as Hitman 2’s 2018 release, it might be reasonable to expect a 2020 release.