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Did Square Enix Just Execute Its Once “Killer” Series?

Did Square Enix Just Execute Its Once “Killer” Series?

Agent 47 is in a bad way. His best recent release was Hitman Go , a mobile game. His movies just keep tanking, with Hitman: Agent 47 bombing at the box office last year. The new Hitman was to be a reboot, a chance at a fresh start. Yet, its development has been plagued by issues that make it difficult to trust the assassin, IO Interactive, and Square Enix.

First of all, Hitman didn’t exactly get the freshest start. It was supposed to be a Square Enix Montreal game. That didn’t happen, and IO Interactive remained in charge of the project. This was in spite of internal issues at the studio, where people were being laid off and projects were being scaled back or dealing with cuts. Still, this was Hitman , an established series with a great legacy. Things would be different for it, right?

Wrong. Immediately, Hitman started down an unprecedented and concerning path. Instead of being released all at once, like a standard AAA game, it was going to be parcelled out. People would get three locations when the game launched, France, Morocco, and Italy. The other three would be doled out after as free updates. Fine. It’d be something of an early access game. We could deal with that.

Except then, pre-orders started getting cancelled. We weren’t even given the courtesy of an explanation as to why. Square Enix and IO Interactive said they’d have answers, but didn’t have them immediately. If such a drastic change is going to happen, one which necessitates cancellations because the game’s structure is so altered, we’re due immediate answers.

It was a few days later that the truth came out. Hitman , two months before its launch, was going full episodic. IO Interactive and Square Enix had months to see this issue arising. They had plenty of time to warn people. That didn’t happen. Two of the locations that, from the very beginning, had been promised as launch content are being pulled for a later release.

Did Square Enix Just Execute Its Once “Killer” Series?

People only get Paris in Hitman . This could mean work on the other three locations in Japan, Thailand, and the United States is so far behind that finished content has to be held back to keep people from rioting. It could also mean that, maybe, the Marrakesh and Sapienza locations needed more work. At this point, with how troubled development has been, it could easily be both. Think at how little footage we’ve seen from the game.

If this were a mission and Agent 47 was being briefed on it, he’d ask his handler if she was crazy. So many troubling developments keep following this new Hitman . It could still be good, but with so little offered at launch and a history of delays and false promises, can we really trust IO Interactive and Square Enix to meet any timelines with the game? If it were available all at once, I’d say maybe, but the new episodic structure is suspect. This new entry could be the one that finally dooms Agent 47.

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