Hitman: Absolution stage changed following nun controversy

Hitman: Absolution director Tore Blystad talks about the surprising controversy from its nun trailer, and how the team has responded with some changes to that stage.

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Hitman: Absolution caught headlines not too long ago with a controversial trailer that showed Agent 47 killing some PVC-clad nuns. IO Interactive apparently didn't see that coming, and the game director says the team took a step back and made some changes based on the feedback.

"We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory," director Tore Blystad said.

"We're working within the game - within that level - to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them." He sees the game as styled after a Grindhouse movie, and says setting that tone with the trailer made it surprising to see the reaction.

Blystad also told Eurogamer that going into that stage guns blazing like we saw in the trailer is "one way to go about that level," but says "it's not the smartest way."

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  • reply
    August 16, 2012 12:30 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Hitman: Absolution stage changed following nun controversy.

    Hitman: Absolution director Tore Blystad talks about the surprising controversy from its nun trailer, and how the team has responded with some changes to that stage.

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      August 16, 2012 12:30 PM

      Oh for fuck's sake

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      August 16, 2012 12:45 PM

      What the fuck is wrong with bad ass nuns clad in black latex? FFS. It's like people's dicks just don't work anymore.

      Also, it's a trailer, it's not as if it's gonna be the whole game, and it was a FUN trailer. Good grief.

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        August 16, 2012 1:25 PM

        I am all for hot nuns in latex... I'm actually for any attractive woman in anything tight and shiny (kind of a thing I have). I'm even all for cheesy action movies with attractive women in shiny things with guns doing crazy things... but that trailer kind of turned me off to that game a bit. Even though I enjoyed the trailer in it's own way, I didn't like what it was saying about that game. I imagined that game as a bit more down to Earth stealthy simulator kind of game... and the trailer clashed a bit with my image of what that game would be. And I don't think I was the only one.

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          August 16, 2012 2:21 PM

          you've gotta be fuckin kidding me, have you ever even played a Hitman game? that trailer was brilliant.

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          August 16, 2012 3:42 PM

          It would be disingenous of me to say I don't have a more than slight bias toward that kind of thing (fetish scene stuff) so I suppose I can understand some people's reactions. They just need to get out more.

          As for the game, I mean it was a CGI trailer, it showed ZERO gameplay, no idea how people managed to get their knickers in a twist over it. I mean the Deus Ex HR trailer was the single best trailer I've ever seen and Adam Jensen is shooting dudes with shotguns and breaking necks, it looks action packed, yet my playthrough was fairly non-lethal and stealthy.

          Hitman will be the same, there will be more than one way to play.

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          August 17, 2012 8:50 AM

          Definately a good trailer. I would do the same after I realized that the nuns weren't at my place for the sexin'.

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      August 16, 2012 12:51 PM

      hopefully the detractors saw the trailer? I wonder how many people think it's innocent nuns, and it's an MW2 airport scene all over again!!!!! think of the children!

      sorry, skittery folks, the first volley is an RPG from a "nun" so anything goes. it's sad they have to explain this further.

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      August 16, 2012 12:53 PM

      "When he is swayed by the critics, the editors, the publishers, the readers, then he's finished." -Bukowski

      This is in the context of writing obviously but, it seems apt enough..

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        August 16, 2012 1:12 PM

        Agreed. 99% of the world didn't care, including me. Why don't they just make it by committee?

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        August 16, 2012 1:26 PM

        But it doesn't sound like they decided to take that part out of the game or something... it sounds like they just decided to add a bit more context leading up to that point so it isn't as jarring when it actually happens. That doesn't sound like a bad thing to me...

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          August 16, 2012 1:27 PM

          maybe it needs an opt-in when you first run the game...

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            August 16, 2012 1:35 PM

            FSAA 8X [ X ]
            Anisotropic Filtering [ ]
            Ambient Occlusion [ X ]
            Nuns in Latex [ X ]

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          August 16, 2012 2:13 PM

          It is sixty-two hours of mandatory context adding reading.

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      August 16, 2012 12:57 PM

      Something tells me they weren't really nuns he murdered in self defense. I think their shoes gave away their true identity. Yep, the shoes and maybe all those guns.

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      August 16, 2012 1:25 PM

      I don't see what was so wrong about that video. Then again, I don't have a broom in my arse.

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      August 16, 2012 1:44 PM

      They shouldn't change a thing, there's nothing wrong with 'nun trailer'. It fits perfectly fine within the Hitman universe.

      I think the only people bitching about it are people who never played through the previous Hitman games.

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      August 16, 2012 2:19 PM

      I wonder what kind of "changes" they're talking about. The super hot nun assassins are part of what made me think this game looked badass enough to preorder. I see a million slutty nuns every halloween, should they all get rounded up and fined for indecency?

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      August 16, 2012 2:21 PM

      someone should show the retards that got upset about this the intro to Bayonetta

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        August 16, 2012 5:40 PM

        "Do you NAUGHTY little angels deserve a good SPANKING?!"

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      August 16, 2012 2:27 PM

      I love the trailer, thought it was one of the better trailers to come out in quite awhile. I think everyone just needs to take a chill pill and relax!

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      August 16, 2012 4:02 PM

      What's not to love about that trailer? I want an entire movie of what just happened in that trailer.

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      August 17, 2012 8:02 PM

      That was probably one of the best trailers I've seen for this game. People will complain about anything...

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