14 DAY TRIAL // Hitman developer IO Interactive confirms its rather unique strategy that will be employed with the new game. The title will launch first in December for a $60/€60 price tag, but a lot of its actual story and gameplay content will be released throughout 2016, free of charge.
The Hitman series has been around for quite some time now, and while Hitman: Absolution was supposed to herald a new era for the franchise, it didn't exactly delight that many people.
As such, with the upcoming Hitman reboot, IO Interactive is planning quite a few new things, while showcasing protagonist Agent 47 at the peak of his assassin career.
Don't call Hitman an Early Access experience even if it's not the full game
IO Interactive has just posted a brand new questions and answers article on its website, shedding a lot of light into how exactly Hitman will behave at launch and how extra content will be added throughout 2016.
First up, Hitman will appear only as a digital download. It will be priced at 60 USD/EUR, but most importantly, it won't be the actual full game. Instead, IO Interactive confirms that it will be a "sizeable chunk of it." More locations and missions in the story arc will be released throughout 2016, as they're finished.
While this more or less fits the definition of an early access game, IO Interactive emphasizes that Hitman will be a polished experience and isn't unfinished, even if more content will be released for it afterwards.
The studio also explains that, while the story will get new chapters, the game isn't exactly episodic in nature. Instead, it's calling Hitman a "live experience."
Once all the new content is released, a physical disc will appear in 2016 across PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
IO Interactive also confirms that, while you'll have to be connected to the Internet to play the live events, download updates, or check out leaderboards, the locations and missions can be played offline.
Check out the full Q&A article below.