Hitman was recently announced to be fully episodic following a series of digital pre-order cancellations for the PlayStation 4 version. The game now seems well on its way to hit its March 11th release date, with IO-Interactive revealing a new trailer for the game that sets up the story for the popular stealth franchise. The Hitman beta will begin exclusively on PS4 on February 12th, with it expanding out to PC users a week later on February 19th.
The beta is available to all those who have pre-ordered the game’s Intro Pack or the full-fledged episodic experience. Pre-ordering will also give PS4 users access to a Hitman: Blood Money-themed pack that includes a requiem suit with all the fixings, a white rubber duck explosive, and a new silenced pistol.
Story details for the game have been released that explain roughly how the episodic structure will operate for Hitman. Firstly, every episode will contain more isolated pieces of story that center around Agent 47’s target. These individualized pieces of narrative are going to be complemented by an overall main story which encompasses 47, the ICA (International Contract Agency), Diana Burnwood, and a new cast of characters. It sounds like the first season of episodes is just the beginning, as community manager for IO-Interactive, Travis Barbour, states “The structure is inspired by contemporary TV series’ and will unfold over multiple seasons…” indicating that IO-Interactive have plans for an extremely ambitious story.
The season will also eventually distance itself from a procedural structure by having the more individual stories eventually merge with the overarching narrative. The trailer above gives an idea of what kind of story IO-Interactive is attempting to convey: one laden with conspiracies and political intrigue. It also highlights the importance of different play-styles to the Hitman experience from a ruthless amateur to the esteemed Silent Assassin.
Hitman will launch on March 11th, 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. PlayStation 4 users will have access to exclusive content, including a series of targets called the Sarajevo Six.
Source: PlayStation Blog