• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Square Enix is cancelling all digital PS4 pre-orders of Hitman

Square Enix is cancelling all digital PS4 pre-orders of Hitman

CYoDpLRW8AQ74zS.jpg

https://twitter.com/VG_Dave/status/687365900736049153
 
I wonder if this has anything to do with them moving away from their pseudo-Early Access release model. If they've changed their mind significantly on the roll-out plan, Sony's existing Terms of Service may have forced them to refund any pre-orders.
 

ViciousDS

Banned
I wonder if they ditched the episode style and are just giving it a full fledge release later this year given the extended dev time
 
Perhaps they are cancelling the not early-access/episodic digital first launch (but not the full finished product either) release and just doing it as a regular AAA release
 

Gamezone

Gold Member
I wonder if this has anything to do with them moving away from their pseudo-Early Access release model. If they've changed their mind significantly on the roll-out plan, Sony's existing Terms of Service may have forced them to refund any pre-orders.

I hope so. I don't want them to release Hitman as some Telltale game with episodes trough out the year. I'm not going to buy it before I can have my hands on the physical release anyways.
 

chadskin

Member
EU only I believe. I wondered why it disappeared from the upcoming games section a few days ago.

It may have something to do with the price because it was initially on sale for €49.99 and then they increased it to €59.99.
 
I hope so. I don't want them to release Hitman as some Telltale game with episodes trough out the year. I'm not going to buy it before I can have my hands on the physical release anyways.

I think their concept had potential (new open area every few months, with 48-hr challenges to eliminate a certain CPU filling the gap), but was never really understood by the audience. It was billed as episodic, yet they clearly stated that input from fans would shift development of later content. All leading to a 'final' release.

I could see it working if they'd established a clear timetable up front (no more than a month between new areas), and made it crystal-clear what people were getting into. It didn't help that the game didn't look ready for a Winter 2016 release in any form.
 

Fat4all

Banned
The model they were going for before was similar to how Nintendo has been experimenting with some of their releases reciently, and that worked out well for Nintendo.

Still, I would prefer a full release when given the option.

Probably an Xbox One exclusive now.

"Ahh shit, here we go again..."
 
"Travis ‏@IO_Travis 2m2 minutes ago
@VG_Dave Don't panic. We're adjusting a few things and will update in a few days. The release date is still March 11th." - Hitman community manager

I assume by adjusting they're making it Wii U exclusive
 
They were going to launch it as a full game later this year after all digital content was released.

Maybe they changed their minds. If that's the case Hitman might be delayed.
 
I think their concept had potential (new open area every few months, with 48-hr challenges to eliminate a certain CPU filling the gap), but was never really understood by the audience. It was billed as episodic, yet they clearly stated that input from fans would shift development of later content. All leading to a 'final' release.

I could see it working if they'd established a clear timetable up front (no more than a month between new areas), and made it crystal-clear what people were getting into. It didn't help that the game didn't look ready for a Winter 2016 release in any form.

Conceptually they had a really good idea. Making a base pack and evolving that based on how players react and want.

It's a good idea, and a very collaborative development process where they actually acknowledge the community and what they want and reacting to it within months. Instead of going "We'll make a note, see you in three years".

They botched the communications aspect, but I hope they stick to their guns and do it. Because it's a cool idea.
 

IvanJ

Banned
It will be a timed XOne exclusive, with a PS4 version coming 12 months later?

I'm a slow typist :-(
 

Meneses

Member
Wouldn't surprise me if it was a change of price.

Sony cancelled my The Old Hunters pre-order (which I placed when it was €15, if i'm not mistaken), before increasing the price to €20.
 

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
This really sucks for people who preordered, losing that $50 because it's impossible for Sony to refund preorders.
 
Yep. 50€ in EU.
Are they cancelling EU order only? Maybe they are going to change the price.

They changed the EU price to €60 on PSN quite a while ago, even before they started offering the later DLC content separately. Sucks that EU users are now forced to pre-order again at the higher price.

I refuse to pay that much, so I'm waiting for a sale on this one. Steam price is still €50, but triple-A PC games go on retail for €40-45 so I refuse to buy that too.
 

DOWN

Banned
Yes but don't you know that any experimentation on the $60 release is sin!!!
That's exactly how many people reacted.

Claiming that trying a full retail title and high production value elevation of the same schedule of release Telltale uses means they are putting out a broken alpha early access and even after all the episodes it won't count as a Hitman game!!! It can't possibly be that they were trying to release the full retail campaign episodically, it was an anti-consumer scheme to burn their fans!



Seriously, asking them to improve the pricing model is fine - but the accusations that it was an alpha early access and that IO no longer cared about their fans by experimenting with release model was silly.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Hopefully they've realised nobody was falling for the bullshit episodic model they came up with. In this day and age, nobody sane would pay $60 for half a game with SE pinky-swearing that there will be another half a game to come.
 
I hope this is the case.

The episodic structure makes no sense for a game like Hitman.

I'm not saying Square's model is good but it literally makes perfect sense for Hitman. It wouldn't suit a AAA game more than Hitman. It's a bunch of assassinations that are better off left unconnected. An episodic structure would make the missions feel more significant whereas they tired to use a stupid narrative before to add significance. It's a very good idea but they have been really stupid about it and priced it all wrong.
 
Top Bottom