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[Kalor]

Hopefully that german report is true. I wonder if the presumed E3 reveal for season 2 will still take place.

 

[Deadstar]

According to an unnamed source the german Gamestar reports that the IP rights for Hitman will stay with IO Interactive and not with the publisher Square-Enix.
They also report that season 2 is half way through development.
Currently they look for new investors.

https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamestar.de%2Fspiele%2Fhitman%2Fnews%2Fhitman_ist_gerettet%2C48985%2C3313967.html&edit-text=

Crossing my fingers this is true. I can see Square Enix selling off the IP because obviously they think Hitman is garbage. I hope someone good buys IO and season 2 is a massive hit and Square Enix crumbles into bankruptcy.

 

[Bowl0l]

That was a publisher decision.

I imagine if IO could keep the IP and make the intended two additional Seasons, this always-online thing would be the first thing patched out.

If it's a S. Enix mandate, I hope IO does patch it out.

 

[Deadstar]

If it's a S. Enix mandate, I hope IO does patch it out.

I think it's a safe bet that if IO leaves with the Hitman ip they will do everything possible to make customers happy.

 

[Foffy]

If it's a S. Enix mandate, I hope IO does patch it out.

Look at how IO took fan feedback to heart with patches.

The online-only system was literally something they always had Travis, the PR guy, have to pivot and spin like a motherfucker about.

I'm sure they had to fight hard for offline profile support.

 

[Xiao Hu]

That would actually be good for Nintendo. Make IO Interactive develop mature ips.

Hush, my friend. Nintendo don't care about western developers

 

[Narpas Sword0]

I hope they drop the mandatory Online to progress BS for season 2.

I hope they do it for S1 in case this doesn't work out and Square shuts down the servers.

It's bad enough I won't get more, I don't want what I already have to be ruined.

 

[Fisty]

Hmm I bet Starbreeze would jump on them in an instant if they have the IP and the established model

 

[memoryswap]

I don't think you have any grasp on this game at all if you're going to make value judgements based on the content, only to then dismiss what this game offered. Numerous large, replayable maps with tons to explore. Elusive targets, escalations, and user-generated maps. This game easily justified its full price tag.

The price tag is not justified by the effort you put in a game but by the sales it generates. That's just business.

Selling sub-800 000 units for a very well-known IP like Hitman says something clear about whether the model was successful or not, especially since players and critics generally liked the game.

Another thing to factor in (which few here seem to be doing) is whether an IP like Hitman is a viable AAA product at all. It was at some point (Hitman 2), but the market has changed completely. Both Absolution and now HITMAN have been black holes for all the money put into them.

I like the Hitman ip, or at least the potential it has, but it isn't going to survive unless it undergoes a major re-think. Apparently, Square just don't see a future in it as a AAA title, or in any other form or they would shut down the studio and move the IP elsewhere.

 

[Deadstar]

The price tag is not justified by the effort you put in a game but by the sales it generates. That's just business.

Selling sub-800 000 units for a very well-known IP like Hitman says something clear about whether the model was successful or not, especially since players and critics generally liked the game.

Another thing to factor in (which few here seem to be doing) is whether an IP like Hitman is a viable AAA product at all. It was at some point (Hitman 2), but the market has changed completely. Both Absolution and now HITMAN have been black holes for all the money put into them.

I like the Hitman ip, or at least the potential it has, but it isn't going to survive unless it undergoes a major re-think. Apparently, Square just don't see a future in it as a AAA title, or in any other form or they would shut down the studio and move the IP elsewhere.

I wonder how much bad steam reviews affected sales of the game early on. The game had terrible reviews for months after the game was revealed. I think that probably did a ton of damage to IO. It decimated them.

Edit: I think that if they took out always online, the sales and hype for season 2 would be huge. People trust that the game is good now. IO has proven this to be the best Hitman game.

 

[More_Badass]

I like the Hitman ip, or at least the potential it has, but it isn't going to survive unless it undergoes a major re-think. Apparently, Square just don't see a future in it as a AAA title, or in any other form or they would shut down the studio and move the IP elsewhere.

A major re-think is the last thing Hitman needs. IO already tried that with Absolution. Let's not forget what happened to series like Dead Space, trying to rethink and recalibrate a seris into something it's really not to try and draw in the masses. Hitman may be a relatively niche IP, bit trying to twist and chsnge it to make into what counts as a super marketable seller for the general audience would hurt more than help

 

[PREC0GNITIVE]

This is heartbreaking for me. After initially dismissing Hitman due to its episodic nature I gave it a shot. I instantly bought the full experience and it has continued to be one of the most generous games content-wise month after month. I adore this entry in the franchise and have recommended it to anybody that would listen. I hope IO get to make season 2 as it's one of the best games I've played in years. I'm going to go pretend I never saw this thread now :-(

 

[Dick Justice]

They've built an incredibly strong base with season 1. Really hope the rumour about them keeping the IP is true. Season 2 would be amazing. Would almost certainly do better now that word of mouth is much stronger.

 

[NegativeCero]

I had no idea that Hitman sold so poorly. I guess the episodic model did it no favors, as I and I'm sure many others, waited until the last episode was out to buy the whole thing. Here's hoping another company who will continue the franchise will pick them up.

 

[Human Trashcan]

A major re-think is the last thing Hitman needs. IO already tried that with Absolution. Let's not forget what happened to series like Dead Space, trying to rethink and recalibrate a seris into something it's really not to try and draw in the masses. Hitman may be a relatively niche IP, bit trying to twist and chsnge it to make into what counts as a super marketable seller for the general audience would hurt more than help

Yeah, Hitman was the pinnacle of that series and I firmly believe there is a way to scope and monetize that game (or season 2) in a way that makes money and sense. I firmly believe it's a victim of Square's overblown expectations and general mismanagement of its internal Japanese studios moreso than any actual failure on the game's part. The only money pits over there are their endless dev cycles on FF and KH games.

 

[memoryswap]

A major re-think is the last thing Hitman needs. IO already tried that with Absolution. Let's not forget what happened to series like Dead Space, trying to rethink and recalibrate a seris into something it's really not to try and draw in the masses. Hitman may be a relatively niche IP, bit trying to twist and chsnge it to make into what counts as a super marketable seller for the general audience would hurt more than help

I was actually thinking the opposite: to stop pretending that Hitman is a mass-market ip capable of selling 6 million + copies. Keep the heart of the game: murder sandbox with a globe-trotting assassin theme (make the gameplay even more hardcore even) ...but strip away the AAA dressing that requires an army of outsourcing studios to make. I know: many fans probably want their cake and eat it too. But it doesn't appear to be working.

 

[King Gilga]

Playing it a friends house and being kicked out of a level because their servers were fucked and then not letting me load back into that save because the servers were still fucked ruined any chance of me buying it as much as I loved Hitman 2 and BM.

It happened twice before I said fuck it I'm out.

It doesn't matter how good the game is when it has bullshit like that.

 

[FrontalMonk]

A major re-think is the last thing Hitman needs. IO already tried that with Absolution. Let's not forget what happened to series like Dead Space, trying to rethink and recalibrate a seris into something it's really not to try and draw in the masses. Hitman may be a relatively niche IP, bit trying to twist and chsnge it to make into what counts as a super marketable seller for the general audience would hurt more than help

Yeah, Hitman 2016 has been the most fully realized vision of what a Hitman game can and should be to date. It's going to be a shame if they end up either not being able to deliver S2 or have to radically change the next title into something Hitman isn't.

 

[stryke]

Gut feeling Deep Silver would like to jump in, but they're probably burnt from Homefront.

 

[duckroll]

Gut feeling Deep Silver would like to jump in, but they're probably burnt from Homefront.

How much cash does Deep Silver have? Don't they generally only fund things in the low millions?

 

[Matt]

How much cash does Deep Silver have? Don't they generally only fund things in the low millions?

This would be a huge acquisition for them, and honestly a very dangerous one. I doubt they would do it.

 

[iMax]

Something of an update...

When Square Enix first revealed its plans to explore a sale of IO, it did not indicate whether the Hitman IP would be sold off with it; it wasn't out of the question that Square Enix could hold onto the rights and allow the franchise to become dormant. But that doesn't appear to be the plan, based on a newly released English transcript of Square Enix's post-earnings results briefing.

Our decision to withdraw from the IO Interactive business was the result of a review of our portfolio that we conducted as part of our effort to concentrate our resources in order to strengthen our development capabilities. Because the firm is engaged in the development of Hitman and other renowned titles, we are negotiating with prospective external investors capable of ensuring that these titles carry on.

That last bit is where the promising news comes in. Whether it sells the Hitman IP rights along with IO or is willing to license them out, there's apparently a willingness on Square Enix's part to allow Hitman to continue. As for the other "renowned titles," IO is also the developer of the Kane & Lynch series. It is--or was--also at work on a new IP.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hitman-may-survive-sale-of-developer-io-interactiv/1100-6450365/

 

[MosquitoSmasher]

Something of an update...



https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hitman-may-survive-sale-of-developer-io-interactiv/1100-6450365/

That does sound like good news.

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

I was actually thinking the opposite: to stop pretending that Hitman is a mass-market ip capable of selling 6 million + copies. Keep the heart of the game: murder sandbox with a globe-trotting assassin theme (make the gameplay even more hardcore even) ...but strip away the AAA dressing that requires an army of outsourcing studios to make. I know: many fans probably want their cake and eat it too. But it doesn't appear to be working.

Was Season One that expensive? I suppose there were a decent number of CG trailers and cutscenes, but there wasn't a massive marketing push.

 

[Remembrance]

Was Season One that expensive? I suppose there were a decent number of CG trailers and cutscenes, but there wasn't a massive marketing push.

The Paris level had been in development since 2015. Every level uses completely different textures and environmental assets and designs from regions and cultures across the world. There are more lines of voiced dialogue than you will ever hear after even hundreds of hours in the game. The world model is unbelievably complex, from line of sight to sound propagation to endless possible interactions between up to 300 NPCs with AI in a level. Each level has numerous scripted events that can be potentially broken.

No doubt every new level is cheaper to make once the tools have been built, but the whole project couldn't have been cheap.