A third Hitman game seems to be underway, as mentioned by Danny O’Dwyer in the most recent Noclip documentary. The video, titled The Fall & Rise of Hitman goes deep into the series’ history and how it came back into the spotlight after dipping in popularity.
Towards the end of the documentary, O’Dwyer says “…and while much of the team is working on new Hitman content and looking ahead to a third Hitman game, one that Hakan [Abrak] says may once again go episodic, the majority of the studio, at least here in Copenhagen, is working on something secret, and rather excitingly, something new.”
You can check out the quote from the Noclip documentary below:
This is notable for many reasons. Hitman (2016) was released episodically, much like a Telltale-style game like The Walking Dead. To some, this was a welcome inclusion and a fitting change of pace, while others were less than excited about it. Still, Hitman (2016) received mostly favorable reviews across various outlets, including ours. You can read our review here.
Aside from that, it’s telling that Io and Warner Bros. are at least considering releasing the next Hitman game episodically. Perhaps the data shows that Hitman 2016 sold better when compared to Hitman 2 (2018), a game that ditched the episodic release schedule and launched in a more traditional manner. Despite Hitman 2‘s positive critical reception, it didn’t quite perform well, commercially, launching well outside of the top 20 best-selling games according to the NPD group during October 2018.
The quote from O’Dwyer is also interesting in that it hints towards a new IP from Io Interactive, something we haven’t seen from the studio in quite some time. It’s unclear what the game will be, but the idea of something new from IO is, indeed exciting.
It’s important to note that Hitman 3 has not been officially announced by Io Interactive or Warner Bros., but given O’Dwyer’s credibility, it stands to reason that a followup is likely in development.
If and when we receive official confirmation, we’ll be sure to let you know.
What do you make of this news? What would you like to see from a Hitman 3? Let us know!
[Source: Noclip]
