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IO Interactive explains Hitman release

M

Messofanego

Banned
It's basically episodic, but there's some extra bits like the live stuff and you don't pay individually for the pieces. It's not online-only, but like episodic games, gotta download the stuff to play it offline. Everything that drops will be polished (like an episodic game), so it's not like early access. The game will be released on a disc eventually, it's just digital first. No DLC, it's all $60 up front.

https://hitman.com/en-us/news/hitman-q-a#
How exactly are you releasing HITMAN?

We’re doing things a bit differently, as you may have read in our 'Announcing HITMAN' blog post. HITMAN will launch on PS4, Xbox One and PC on December 8th this year as a digital download. That’s when the experience will begin. And it’s really important to us that this is understood as a ‘beginning’.

What we release on December 8th is not the full game. It’s a sizeable chunk of it. Throughout 2016 we’ll release more locations and missions until the story arc is done and finished. All of that content is included in the $60 price.​

Is HITMAN an ‘early access’ game?

No. Early access can often mean something unfinished or unpolished. That’s simply not the approach we’re taking. All of the content we release live to our players will be complete and polished, whether that’s the locations and missions we release on December 8th, the live events or the locations and missions that we will release in 2016. It will always be a polished Hitman experience.

Is HITMAN episodic now?

We think the word ‘episodic’ sets up the expectation that we will sell individual content drops for individual prices but that’s not something we're planning to do. That said, there are some episodic elements to the story in the sense that it’s delivered in chunks over time, so experiencing the story will probably feel episodic. But there is also a ton of other content including live events, which have nothing to do with the story. We’ll also be improving and changing the game constantly whilst you’re playing it. Our ambition is to have a stream of content available from December 8th until the story arc is finished.​

What does it all cost? How much do I have to pay to experience everything?

The entire game will cost you $60 or the regional equivalent.

That $60 includes everything we create in this story arc; from what we release on December 8th through to the end of the story arc in 2016 and all the live events too. There’s no micro-transactions or hidden costs in there. No extra paid DLC on top either. It’s one package, all-in for $60. We want that to be simple and clear and it was important for us to be up-front about that.

Is HITMAN digital only?

No, we’re leading with digital, so it’s ‘digital first’. At some point in 2016, we’ll release the game on a disc.

Can I play HITMAN offline or do you have to be connected all the time?

You will be able to play the locations and missions offline. To play the live events, download updates or see things like leaderboards, you’ll need you to be online.​

=================

Personally, I play Hitman games and other stealth games level by level, trying to master each first before moving onto the next level, so this type of release schedule suits me.
 
L

LiK

Member
Good grief, finally. They were so damn vague with the announcement trailers and interviews at E3 about it. Why didn't they just say that from the start.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Mineshaft_Gap said:
Mineshaft_Gap explains how she'll be buying Hitman: She won't.

Not after Absolution. Unless they seriously turn it around.
Click to expand...
Alpha impressions from the other thread
Locke Lamora said:
Got into the Alpha too, which surprised me. Usually I never get into closed Alphas or Betas. Got a timeslot that's opened for ~3 days and a big ass code in the middle of my screen. Pretty sure its purpose is to track leaked material and after a while I got used to it.

And yeah, first impressions are positive so far. AI is way more "forgiving" and can't see through your disguise from miles away. And if they get suspicious, they just follow you and ask who the hell you are instead of starting to shoot at you immediately like it was in Absolution. That's a biiiiiig plus for me.

Level is indeed huge. First time I got into the basement I was amazed by its dimensions. Makes me wonder what other missions could be like in the finished game and personally I hope for some djungle missions like the ones Hitman 1: Codename 47 had. That would make me so happy.

I didn't play the Alpha for that long yet. Unfortunately it's super hot in Germany at the moment and I don't spend much time in front of my PC playing games because that'd just heat up my room even more. Hopefully I can play the game in the evening again without feeling like a human snail covered in my own sweat. And hopefully I can get closer to my targets then because so far I spent 35 minutes just to get a better overview of the level.
Click to expand...
Interfectum said:
In the new Hitman, you are dropped at the front door of a gigantic sandbox. You are given two targets, some gadgets and weapons of your choosing and are told "now go kill them." There is nothing holding your hand or guiding you besides the occasional map related hint here and there. It is completely up to you how you tackle the situation. It's almost EXACTLY like Blood Money.

It feels like IO basically had this Absolution engine, read the hitmanforums over and over again and said... fuck it just give these fuckers Blood Money 2.

My opinion might not mean much but I have talked about Hitman on this forum for years and even made the OT for Absolution.
Click to expand...

Interfectum said:
The disguises work like Blood Money but with one minor change. Certain disguises have "special" NPCs that can detect you even with the disguise on. They are clearly marked so you can avoid.

A couple of examples:
- I disguised myself as a security guard. Most security guards accepted my disguise but a couple strategically placed ones could see through it if you got close enough.

- I disguised myself as a waiter/server. All waiters accepted my disguise but one. I'm guessing that one waiter is ment to be a "manager" so they would know who does and does not work for them(?).
Click to expand...

Interfectum said:
I've completed the level three times now in three completely separate ways and there are parts of the level I haven't even been to yet. It's a freakin huge area.

No more checkpoints, saving is back. :)

No silent assassin yet. :( though I don't even know if the final score board takes it into account yet. Seems rough.
Click to expand...
 
M

Montresor

Member
"What we release on December 8th is not the full game. It’s a sizeable chunk of it. Throughout 2016 we’ll release more locations and missions until the story arc is done and finished. All of that content is included in the $60 price"
Click to expand...

They are serious aren't they? Look at what Splatoon has done to the industry.
 
N

nynt9

Member
"The game isn't in early access or episodic, because uhhh, we redefine those terms to mean what we want!"

I don't understand why they're not being straight forward about this. Are they afraid of the stigma those terms have?
 
M

mgarnica89

Member
This is ok to me as long as that "first chunk" is substantial. I need at least 30% of the game on the initial release. The other 70% being released in a timely manner on a fixed schedule. Need to show me you aren't just making dates and levels as you go along
 
X

Xater

Member
nynt9 said:
"The game isn't in early access or episodic, because uhhh, we redefine those terms to mean what we want!"

I don't understand why they're not being straight forward about this. Are they afraid of the stigma those terms have?
Click to expand...

Well Early Access usually is an unfinished game not just from a content perspective, but also when it comes to mechanics, bugs the whole nine yards. This is not the case with this game. It's just the content that will be delivered piece meal, the rest of the game will be done.
 
P

Pooya

Member
I don't see the point, if you have to wait for the content might as well wait on the purchase too. You're basically preordering this and get it chunk by chunk over a year. It's as bad as early access and I don't buy it for a second that their base launch will have enough content.

The thing is there is zero guarantee they will release everything, they can cancel at anytime. I'm curious to see how badly this fails. Sure some diehard fans will go for this still but for average player this is a bad deal. Next stage of season pass, buying something for full price you have no idea what is or when will come out and those already failed several times, now for a full price game? oh please...
 
H

hbkdx12

Member
So you're paying for the entire game upfront but getting the game piece meal? Seems ripe for the type of thing people would be up in arms about.

I'm a bit lost on what the rationale for this is. Seems like it serves as a way to help ingrain mindshare amongst gamers longer than the game otherwise would if it was released at one time.
 
enkaisu

enkaisu

Banned
Kind of a bummer for me, I'm not really a fan of episodic releases. I guess I'll check it out when the full version is out.
 
M

MatrixMan.EXE

Member
Montresor said:
They are serious aren't they? Look at what Splatoon has done to the industry.
Click to expand...

Yup. Sell an unfinished game at full price with the promise of regular updates of 'Free Content' that would have been in the game anyway if they'd just waited a few more months and released a complete product. No buy.
 
I

IvorB

Member
So they want 60 bucks upfront then they give you the game in instalments. Sounds like a really great deal.
 
Q

Queen of Hunting

Unconfirmed Member
This surely couldn't go wrong. Its like pre ordering a season pass you still dont know what ur getting
 
G

Gbraga

Member
I personally don't mind that, I'll just wait for the full game, and I'll have plenty of impressions and videos until then to really make up my mind, didn't like Absolution that much.

And also, as with other "episodic" games, it'll probably be discounted before it even finishes releasing. People who wait will probably get the full game with all the patches it'd need after release and for a cheaper price.

I still think they're dancing around the issue not wanting to admit it's early access, but whatever.

Bedameister said:
So it's HITMAN not Hitman?
Click to expand...

HtM: Hitman

Xater said:
Well Early Access usually is an unfinished game not just from a content perspective, but also when it comes to mechanics, bugs the whole nine yards. This is not the case with this game. It's just the content that will be delivered piece meal, the rest of the game will be done.
Click to expand...

There is no rule about that, though. Early Access just means Early Access, how it's done depends on the devs. This is a form of early access, no matter how you look at it.
 
B

Bodom78

Member
So it is basically an episodic game and you can only buy the $60 season pass.

Interesting way to release the game and curious to see how it works out for them.

If it turns out decent I'll be down to giving it a go.
 
W

Warchild

Banned
hbkdx12 said:
So you're paying for the entire game upfront but getting the game piece meal? Seems ripe for the type of thing people would be up in arms about.

I'm a bit lost on what the rationale for this is. Seems like it serves as a way to help ingrain mindshare amongst gamers longer than the game otherwise would if it was released at one time.
Click to expand...

I brought this up in a previous thread about this - the rationale behind it seems that we get to play the game "early" instead of waiting until mid 2016 for the entire thing.

I'm not a fan of digital and I don't trust developers/publishers so that leaves me no choice.
 
M

Matush

Member
This game will bomb at launch, this is not a good press for Hitman, I guess they want to bank on the movie while they can.
 
H

hbkdx12

Member
IvorB said:
So they want 60 bucks upfront then they give you the game in instalments. Sounds like a really great deal.
Click to expand...

Yeah i'm not really understanding this other then the industry trying to find new ways to get people to hold onto and invest in their games longer thus allowing them to keep/make more money.

Being that the levels in hitman are generally self contained, i can see this kind of format being ok for this type of game but i really hope this doesn't spread and start becoming a "thing"
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
hbkdx12 said:
Seems like it serves as a way to help ingrain mindshare amongst gamers longer than the game otherwise would if it was released at one time.
Click to expand...
I think that's what it is, mindshare. Which I'm fine with, considering I have games like Life Is Strange or Kentucky Route Zero in my head for much longer (and leads to longer discussion, therefore increasing awareness to people who haven't played yet) than a game that I'd be done with a week or so.
 
S

schuey7

Member
The thing that worries me is that if the game does not meet their sales expectations they may cut down on the budget or the length of the remaining story leaving the buyers shortchanged.I mean how would we even know what was the original planned length of the game ,etc unless they announce all these details upfront before release.
 
O

OléGunner

Member
I've gotta say this is one of the stranger AAA releases I've seen in a while.

Kinda crazy being asked to pay full price upfront for stuff you know nothing about.

Good luck though IO.
 
P

Phrozenflame500

Member
Weird change. I'm generally pretty open to episodic releases (which this is, no matter what they say), so if ep 1 reviews well I might consider dropping the $60.

EDIT: The first impressions look really promising. Hopefully Sqeenix really is following on their promises to make this more Blood Money-like.
 
J

Jb

Member
I imagine most people will just wait for the retail release.
I'll probably jump in early on, if only to be able to give them feedback on how to tweak things.
 
C

Callibretto

Member
Buying it early give you live events too, those are gone once they're finished right? So people waiting until retail won't get those live events?
 
C

ClaptoVaughn

Member
Messofanego said:
Personally, I play Hitman games and other stealth games level by level, trying to master each first before moving onto the next level, so this type of release schedule suits me.
Click to expand...

A full version of the game wouldn't have stopped you from playing that way.

The difference is now you can't move onto the next level whenever you want. You have to wait until they decide it's time. When it's time for you to be allowed to play the game you already paid full price for.
 
F

Forkball

Member
They went full blown Splatoon on us.

Honestly I see zero advantage of them doing this. Well, for consumers at least. IO gets to release a small portion of gameplay for $60 and then use that money to finish off the game. It's kind of like a Kickstarter with a demo.
 
I

IvorB

Member
hbkdx12 said:
Yeah i'm not really understanding this other then the industry trying to find new ways.

Being that the levels in hitman are generally self contained, i can see this kind of format being ok for this type of game but i really hope this doesn't spread and start becoming a "thing"
Click to expand...

They could charge for the chunks each on a case-by-case basis but, no, they want all the money upfront on the promise that they will deliver the rest of the game to you at some time in the future. They want you to trust them that what they promise will a) come out b) come out on time c) be any good d) be worth the 60 bucks you paid for it. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
I don't think this kind of release schedule will work for other types of games, just ones that are heavily level-based.
ClaptoVaughn said:
A full version of the game wouldn't have stopped you from playing that way.

The difference is now you can't move onto the next level whenever you want. You have to wait until they decide it's time. When it's time for you to be allowed to play the game you already paid full price for.
Click to expand...
And that's where timing comes into play.
 
Interfectum

Interfectum

Member
Forkball said:
They went full blown Splatoon on us.

Honestly I see zero advantage of them doing this. Well, for consumers at least. IO gets to release a small portion of gameplay for $60 and then use that money to finish off the game. It's kind of like a Kickstarter with a demo.
Click to expand...

Well the advantage is Hitman fans get to play at least a part of the game this year instead of waiting till fall (?) of 2016 to play it.

Consumers who don't like this idea can simply wait until next year to get it. Options.
 
P

Phrozenflame500

Member
ClaptoVaughn said:
A full version of the game wouldn't have stopped you from playing that way.

The difference is now you can't move onto the next level whenever you want. You have to wait until they decide it's time. When it's time for you to be allowed to play the game you already paid full price for.
Click to expand...

Presumably they're developing it as they go along, so it's a choice between a December 8 episodic release or a late-2016 full release.
 
D

driver116

Member
I don't have a problem with this release personally, but it didn't work out too well for Revelations 2 if that's anything to go by.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Phrozenflame500 said:
Weird change. I'm generally pretty open to episodic releases (which this is, no matter what they say), so if ep 1 reviews well I might consider dropping the $60.

EDIT: The first impressions look really promising. Hopefully Sqeenix really is following on their promises to make this more Blood Money-like.
Click to expand...
The leaked screenshots and clips look really good. Seeing 47 moving through a big crowd in a big open level, briefcase in hand, brings back a lot of Blood Money memories
 
S

Senoculum

Member
OleGunner said:
I've gotta say this is one of the stranger AAA releases I've seen in a while.

Kinda crazy being asked to pay full price upfront for stuff you know nothing about.

Good luck though IO.
Click to expand...

Not that different than buying any other game, I think.

I for one, actually like this model, because how many games with 20 hour campaigns have their audience play to completion? A staggered release allows the audience to relax between missions and come back to the game at their own pace.

It's exactly like Resident Evil Revelations 2 (though it was a weekly release for every chapter) which a lot of people seemed to enjoy and appreciate. Except that was a budget title and this is a bigger release.
 
M

mgarnica89

Member
IO Interactive if you are listening , just drop a spectacular free demo of a level and you got me and others , i guarantee it. But it's got be really good. Like Just Cause 2 demo good. Left 4 Dead demo good. Metal Gear Solid 2 demo on Zone of the Enders disc good.
 
L

Loomba

Member
I'll just wait until all of it is released and get it at half the price.

What a crappy way to do things.
 
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