Hitman, in all its glorious marketing, realizes the potential of 360-degree videos. While people already put the view behind the wheel of a moving race car into perspective, along with other outdoorsy activities, video games are a fresh, immersive frontier. You don’t need to leave your house, and you, as the viewer, can take sudden control of the camera – no more static angles.
That freedom would defile the atmosphere in horror game trailers, but for Hitman and its recent footage, it works. The developers at Io Interactive go great lengths in setting the stage for the Sanguine Fall Fashion Show, the initial non-prologue mission Agent 47 accepts. How does the celebration look through the eyes of a bystander (read: non-assassin)? Eerie, at least when you know a contract killer is on the prowl.
You may even catch a glimpse of Agent 47 himself as he pops in and out of scenes in various costumes.
Shot in 4K resolution, [the video] shows off the Paris location from the first episode of the upcoming Hitman game in stunning visual fidelity, allowing viewers to enter the fashion show itself and even inviting them backstage for a peek behind the curtains of mystery that surround this event.
As a bodyguard or an impromptu runway model, observe the number of times Agent 47 strolls through your periphery. I tallied five appearances amid three separate viewings, but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Even as the hired gun, the Hitman series has a way of instilling paranoia, and we’re less than 24 hours removed from the next installment.
If you missed the news, too, Agent 47’s latest contracts will launch as individual episodes during 2016. Players can purchase the entire Hitman season whenever they see fit, or splurge on the missions piecemeal. A disc version of the game will ship at an unknown date.
Updated:
Io Interactive has confirmed that Hitman‘s physical release will arrive January 2017.