Next Hitman to feature larger sandbox levels, Contracts mode returning

IO Interactive has started to tease out details of its current Hitman project, writing an open letter to fans with bits of plot, the gameplay vision, and the return of Contracts mode.

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The next Hitman game may not have been formally announced or given a title, but that isn't stopping IO Interactive from talking openly about it. In an open letter to fans, the team explained its goals and design approach for Agent 47's next adventure, along with a few tweaks to the long-standing formula.

The letter was posted on the official site with plenty of details, and the promise of more in the coming months. This one will take Agent 47 back to the ICA, in the "prime of his career" (of killing people) with Diana Burnwood as his handler. IO promises the largest levels yet for a Hitman game, with "living, breathing and believable" sandbox levels that don't rely on checkpoints. It promises that they've rethought the "magic pockets" that let Agent 47 carry so much gear, so this would seem to be a bit more limited. Contracts Mode will be making a comeback, after its debut in Absolution.

IO Interactive cut its team to half the size last year, and announced it would be focusing exclusively on Hitman. Earlier this month Square Enix noted that its Montreal studio is working on a mobile Hitman game while IO works on the next-gen effort, in response to rumors of the game's cancellation.

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    January 16, 2014 8:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Next Hitman to feature larger sandbox levels, Contracts mode returning.

    IO Interactive has started to tease out details of its current Hitman project, writing an open letter to fans with bits of plot, the gameplay vision, and the return of Contracts mode.

    • reply
      January 16, 2014 8:27 AM

      So, Blood Money 2? Sign me up.

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        January 16, 2014 5:26 PM

        Yes, please! Blood Money is one of the greatest games of the last decade. It's one of those rare games that plays like nothing else.

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      January 16, 2014 9:09 AM

      I hope open letters prior to unveil becomes a trend. I know that IO is in a unique position to put one out, but one of the aspects of the AAA game cycle that I detest the most is the bombastic E3 unveil, either with incredibly vague details that end up getting filled in with the PR plan schedule running up to release, or coming right out of the gate with features the fans of the developer or franchise don't want, and end up in the list of post-release regrets in some developer interview a month after release (many EA developers had these at the end of 2013).

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        January 16, 2014 10:53 AM

        The worst is the 20 second pre-rendered teaser unveil, followed by months of silence.

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          January 16, 2014 11:13 AM

          Yeah, definitely. I understand why they do it, as it's part of established marketing and PR theory of boxed products, but games aren't the same thing anymore.

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      January 16, 2014 11:42 PM

      Oh man I hope it delivers, the last one was disappointing

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