Despite numerous previous insistences that the upcoming Hitman game would be a complete product, its developers have now admitted it will be an episodic title after all. The content will be spread across the early part of 2016 after the game’s launch in February, and the updates will also continue later on in the year.
Square Enix and IO Interactive now seem content to embrace the nature of their new Hitman game, and explained the decision in a statement from IO chief Hannes Seifert:
We decided to take the full leap and publish Hitman as a truly episodic game experience. Part of that decision is for that little bit of extra time to ensure every location we release is at the quality level fitting for a Hitman game. But the main driving reason is that this will allow us to create a living game that will expand and evolve over time and establish a foundation for the future–this is the first game in a storyline which will continue and expand with future Hitman games.
The game will still be released as a digital edition, although a disc version will apparently be available before the end of this year. For now, the first confirmed expansions of the episodic approach will arrive in April and May, bringing Italy and Morocco to the game’s world respectively.
Hitman launches on February 12th for PS4 players, and you’ll be able to get hold of a PC copy from the following week on the 19th.
