Support NeoGAF

[Agent_4Seven]

They're owned by Square. I guess it's possible that they'll sell some of them with the studio if the buyer is willing to pay for them but I somehow doubt that they'd sell Hitman. Kane and Lynch maybe.

No one else but IOI can make a new Hitman game. They must sell Hitman IP along with IOI to whoever agrees to buy them up. There's no other option.

 

[YaBish]

We had three fantastic stealth games last year: HITMAN, Dishonored 2, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Of those three, HITMAN's studio is being sold off, Dishonored didn't sell very well, and SE iced Deus Ex indefinitely.

Why do people hate my favorite genre

 

[Foffy]

No one else but IOI can make a new Hitman game. They must sell Hitman IP along with IOI to whoever agrees to buy them up. There's no other option.

I can see S-E letting another developer try and make a game.

It will be dogshit, but I believe S-E would be incompetent enough to consider this.

 

[keltickennedy]

I was really hoping for a season 2 announcement at E3.

Get your shit together Square. This is how you reward a great game?

 

[TheSinkingKnight]

So, the purchase​ of Eidos seems like it was a waste.

 

[Barry Burton]

Well, this sucks.

 

[keltickennedy]

So, the purchase​ of Eidos seems like it was a waste.

Throwing money at the 10+ year development of FF15 was a mistake.

 

[Foffy]

Throwing money at the 10+ year development of FF15 was a mistake.

But nobody has gotten axed for that.

10 years of nothing and every member still has their jobs unless they chose to leave.

 

[Falchion]

That's crazy considering how Hitman was a real return to form for the series but I guess it didn't do as well as Square wanted.

 

[LiK]

But nobody has gotten axed for that.

10 years of nothing and every member still has their jobs unless they chose to leave.

They just move them to other shit. Nomura is also immune no matter how much money and time he wastes.

 

[Yopis]

Sad....this was a great game.

 

[Screaming Meat]

It's a game that sells on shock value. It's basically Man Hunt.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[keltickennedy]

But nobody has gotten axed for that.

10 years of nothing and every member still has their jobs unless they chose to leave.

Seems fair. lol

 

[TetraGenesis]

They resent it because they thought it would be a cash cow. The problem is they tend to think they understand what the market wants. And when they finally get it right, they see low profits not even remembering that the reason for them. Anyone that played Absolution and didn't like would be extremely cautious about Hitman 2016. That and the fact that episodic probably didn't do as well as they thought it would. Hell they even decided to fuck with Deus Ex. Listening to that Jimquistion report was eye opening.

Can you link this?

Yep, agreed. I mean, let's think about what's happened with their western devs/franchises like Eidos and IOI since being picked up by SE: Deus Ex, critically acclaimed, then driven into mud by poor executive decisions around MD; Hitman, which despite completely recovering the series reputation has apparently a very murky future; Thief, which had that aborted reboot attempt with the crossgen game; Legacy of Kain, which...let's not even go there; and Tomb Raider which...actually has done pretty well across the board, but who knows what its future is, given their parent company.

When you say Tomb Raider has done pretty well across the board, don't forget that -despite strong sales- the original reboot was considered by Square-Enix to have greatly undersold (they wanted 6 million copies sold in the first couple months or something?) and let's not even talk about the Microsoft deal which totally neutered the sequel's chance at substantially growing their player base and led to the game under-performing again.

Par for the course with Square-Enix the third party publisher.

 

[Curufinwe]

We had three fantastic stealth games last year: HITMAN, Dishonored 2, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Of those three, HITMAN's studio is being sold off, Dishonored didn't sell very well, and SE iced Deus Ex indefinitely.

Why do people hate my favorite genre

Is there real info on how D2 sold?

 

[Akronis]

This is bullshit. I really want Season 2.

 

[gafneo]

Maybe actually play the game? The people you are assassinating aren't innocent.

The game isn't static, you use innocent people as bait. Of course you would know that if you played the game. Sure you can complete a mission easier in GTA if you are not killing in the open. The Hitman series is like a game of chess, you arrange the pieces until you win. The innocent lives you take don't make you any less of a professional.

 

[Sinatar]

Someone better snatch them up. Someone with the sense to not force them into making stupid online only, episodic games.

Hitman 2016 was incredible, but it was a marketing disaster. The dumbshit executives who forced the game to come out as it did killed it, not IO.

 

[Mandoric]

now compare that to manhunt where the target market is catagory b, and the only means to play it is catagory b. how that guy thinks they're remotely the same is beyond me. clearly never played either.

But on the flipside, the ACTUAL existing market for Hitman has been proven by this to be b. Trying to sell to a just produced a massive flop.

From an aesthetic standpoint of course category b is doing it wrong, but from a business standpoint Square-Enix is running a Panda Express in Omaha, and decided to skip the standard menu in favor of the true tastes of home: century egg, live shrimp, fish eyes, and fried bee maggots.

 

[Dabanton]

It's a game that sells on shock value. It's basically Man Hunt.

What? Yes taking out your target is the aim of the game but the idea is to do it as silently and smartly as possible.

"Basically manhunt" is a hilarious accusation

 

[BaasRed]

Who in the industry has the potential to buy IO interactive? Hopefully everybody there lands on their feet.

 

[PhantomThief]

The game isn't static, you use innocent people as bait.

In what way?

 

[TetraGenesis]

The game isn't static, you use innocent people as bait. Of course you would know that if you played the game. Sure you can complete a mission easier in GTA if you are not killing in the open. The Hitman series is like a game of chess, you arrange the pieces until you win. The innocent lives you take don't make you any less of a professional.

Dude. Get the hell out of here. Find another thread to shit up.

 

[Kill3r7]

Who in the industry has the potential to buy IO interactive? Hopefully everybody there lands on their feet.

All the big players but without the Hitman IP, they are worth far less.

 

[YaBish]

Is there real info on how D2 sold?

Steam Spy has it at 609,052 ± 22,596. The original is over 3 million, although it did have a free weekend, which would boost the numbers.

Also, from launch week:

Bethesda's stylish stealth game sold 38 per cent fewer copies last week than the original Dishonored shifted back in 2012.

 

[D4Danger]

The game isn't static, you use innocent people as bait. Of course you would know that if you played the game. Sure you can complete a mission easier in GTA if you are not killing in the open. The Hitman series is like a game of chess, you arrange the pieces until you win. The innocent lives you take don't make you any less of a professional.

It literally does in the game.

 

[FrontalMonk]

When you say Tomb Raider has done pretty well across the board, don't forget that -despite strong sales- the original reboot was considered by Square-Enix to have greatly undersold (they wanted 6 million copies sold in the first couple months or something?) and let's not even talk about the Microsoft deal which totally neutered the sequel's chance at substantially growing their player base and led to the game under-performing again.

Par for the course with Square-Enix the third party publisher.

How could I forget? I'm just stating that it hasn't felt yet like TR is getting put on ice the same way DX was, I don't feel the same uncertainty towards its future like I currently do with Hitman, and it isn't dead like LOK is.

But yeah, I remember those failed sales projections, and I was particularly pissed about everything that happened with Hitman Absolution. Despite all the problems it had, it sold *really* well, but was still deemed a failure.

Frankly, for all the mixed messaging HITMAN had in its marketing from reveal to release, I'm surprised it recovered as well as it did. I half expected it to bomb and for us to only ever get the first few episodes and get hosed on the rest.

 

[LukasTaves]

None of these categories have the correct winners attached to them.

I would say they would be perfect for developing episodic content on game pass.

 

[Screaming Meat]

The innocent lives you take don't make you any less of a professional.

They literally do though.

In nearly all of the games your ranking is affected by killing people other than the target, effectively punishing the player for taking innocent lives. The only exception (I think, it's been a while) is accident kills in Blood Money.

 

[Glass Shark]

z

 

[gafneo]

You have no idea what you're talking about.

That's because you are void of understanding. You probably think the Hitman 2 Agent 47 was a faithful movie adaptation. Hitman is a stone faced murderer and has no soul. He's a manufacturered zombie clone. Doesn't care who he kills or what it takes to get the job done.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

It's a game that sells on shock value. It's basically Man Hunt.

What?

 

[keltickennedy]

They literally do though.

In nearly all of the games your ranking is affected by killing people other than the target, effectively punishing the player for taking innocent lives. The only exception (I think, it's been a while) is accident kills in Blood Money.

The density is too strong....you will never get through it. lol.

 

[Foffy]

The game isn't static, you use innocent people as bait. Of course you would know that if you played the game. Sure you can complete a mission easier in GTA if you are not killing in the open. The Hitman series is like a game of chess, you arrange the pieces until you win. The innocent lives you take don't make you any less of a professional.

In every game after the first one, you are punished for killing non-targets.

The goal of every game after the first one is to come up with a plan that kills as few people as possible, or nobody outside of the targets. This means in the case of a game like Absolution, there are missions where you are supposed to complete them without harming one. single. person.

Know your shit before you talk shit.

Manhunt is a literally "kill everyone you see" game. Hitman has not been designed like that outside of certain missions, but that's because everyone in the mission is considered a target. You can count those missions on one hand over six games.

 

[TheSinkingKnight]

Who in the industry has the potential to buy IO interactive? Hopefully everybody there lands on their feet.

Vivendi could. They could give IO Splinter Cell to work on.

 

[BaasRed]

All the big players but without the Hitman IP, they are worth far less.

Rockstar should do it and jump start development on Agent.

Spoiler

Vivendi could. They could give IO Splinter Cell to work on.

Not a bad idea actually!

 

[Bolivar687]

To me this is the latest example of a much larger problem. Square was a developers club for mechanics heavy art games. Since the merger, they've stumbled managing a portfolio of properties as an international publisher. The reputation their brand had is incongruous with the function their company has today.

They propped themself up early on with catalog titles when the PSP/DS were going strong and maybe they're doing well on mobile in Japan but I just don't see how they remain relevant to the games industry going forward. Even when their iconic IPs release standout entries, they can't make it work.

 

[PhantomThief]

That's because you are void of understanding. You probably think the Hitman 2 Agent 47 was a faithful movie adaptation. Hitman is a stone faced murderer and has no soul. He's a manufacturered zombie clone. Doesn't care who he kills or what it takes to get the job done.

So thats how you arrive at " basically Manhunt" ?

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Is there real info on how D2 sold?

It had a terrible launch but it sold close to 3 million copies across all platforms.

 

[Screaming Meat]

That's because you are void of understanding. You probably think the Hitman 2 Agent 47 was a faithful movie adaptation. Hitman is a stone faced murderer and has no soul. He's a manufacturered zombie clone. Doesn't care who he kills or what it takes to get the job done.

I've never seen the movies.

The whole 'narrative' around 47 is that he is a ghost; an urban myth. He only kills his targets in a clean and methodical way with no collateral damage. The gameplay systems support this narrative by rewarding you with the 'Silent Assassin' ranking, which rarely (if ever) involves taking any lives but the target's.

The density is too strong....you will never get through it. lol.

I'm beginning to think you're right...

 

[Akronis]

That's because you are void of understanding. You probably think the Hitman 2 Agent 47 was a faithful movie adaptation. Hitman is a stone faced murderer and has no soul. He's a manufacturered zombie clone. Doesn't care who he kills or what it takes to get the job done.

Bruh the only person who is void of understanding is you. You literally get punished for killing non-targets.

Why the hell are you even bringing the movie into this? What does that have to do with any of the games?

 

[Iced Arcade]

Someone will buy them up without a doubt.

MS could buy them to add another IP/first party studio AND make everyone go crazy with pitchforks and create good entertainment lol

 

[MegaSackman]

I suppose is better than closing the studio.

 

[Akronis]

Someone will buy them up without a doubt.

MS could buy them to add another IP/first party studio AND make everyone go crazy with pitchforks and create good entertainment lol

Please no. I don't want companies forcing devs to only develop for certain consoles or devices.

 

[gafneo]

They literally do though.

In nearly all of the games your ranking is affected by killing people other than the target, effectively punishing the player for taking innocent lives. The only exception (I think, it's been a while) is accident kills in Blood Money.

That is not the point, the guy is tasked to kill a target. How you do it is up to the player. Rank is not story. It's like getting cops after you in GTA with 5 stars for being an obvious killer. You score by killing your target based on the choices you made. The rank is just to give people a shot at picking up points on leaderboards. Nothing more.

 

[PhantomThief]

That is not the point, the guy is tasked to kill a target. How you do it is up to the player. Rank is not story. It's like getting cops after you in GTA with 5 stars for being an obvious killer. You score by killing your target based on the choices you made. The rank is just to give people a shot at picking up points on leaderboards. Nothing more.

You're pretty dense aren't you lol .

 

[Laplasakos]

Wikipedia says that IO Interactive has 200 people. Is this number big? I am clueless about these things. I really can't come up with any potential buyers, especially without Hitman IP.

 

[Gearless]

Are we sure that gafneo isn't from some alternative universe?

 

[Foffy]

That is not the point, the guy is tasked to kill a target. How you do it is up to the player. Rank is not story. It's like getting cops after you in GTA with 5 stars for being an obvious killer. You score by killing your target based on the choices you made. The rank is just to give people a shot at picking up points on leaderboards. Nothing more.

Canonically, all of Hitman's missions are Silent Assassin rankings. This means, per the developer, the goal is for players to play the game with this goal as the "real" way of playing.

Keep pivoting tho. It's fun.

 

[YaBish]

It had a terrible launch but it sold close to 3 million copies across all platforms.

Where'd you get that from? I hadn't heard anything of the sort, but I'd be ecstatic if my GOTY 2016 sold that well.