The release of Hitman: HD Trilogy this week on PS3 and PlayStation Network brings Hitman: Blood Money onto the PlayStation format for the first time. With it come two additional classic Hitman games – Silent Assassin and Contracts.

More than anything else IO Interactive has created in the past decade and a half, Hitman has been the defining series for the studio. Five titles in the franchise have been released in the last 12 years, across most AAA platforms available within the same time period.

(more…)

Score:

• 33 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

One of the best things about working with a vibrant and productive community, such as the one attached to the Hitman games, is that you can learn a lot by just watching people play. Going back to the previous games in the Hitman series, we’ve always enjoyed watching videos of how the fans tackle the different levels; both in terms of strategy and approach to the emergent systems within the game but also in terms of how they change the rules by going against the core of the level.

A great example is when we see people trying to set up mission parameters all by themselves. The previous games didn’t really support this – you were supposed to play a level in one of several different ways but targets always remained the same – but the fans pretty quickly started setting up conditions for completion themselves. Kill everyone with a particular weapon. Don’t get spotted by anyone. Only wear the chicken outfit. Kill that waiter in the bar at the Meat King’s party. Sometimes these conditions would be extremely hard to fulfill but equally satisfying when they did get completed. So for Hitman: Absolution, we decided to formalise a lot of that. The result – Contracts mode.

(more…)

Score:

• 5 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

As the team behind the latest adventures of the deadly Agent 47 is getting ready for Christmas, we’re excited to share a great new trailer with our much-beloved PlayStation community. After having killed his long-term ICA handler Diana Burnwood, the original assassin finds himself tied to a personal contract, which leads him to the Rosewood Orphanage in Chicago. Here, he finds himself in the midst of a brutal raid by a gang of vicious and callous criminals who are looking for the same thing as 47.

The trailer explores crucial aspects of the storyline of Hitman: Absolution and sets the scene for a very unusual mission for 47, which will force him to look deep into himself. As we continue to delve deeper into the storyline and features of Hitman: Absolution, puzzle pieces left in this trailer will begin to make sense as they are put together and we get closer to that all-important question – why did 47 kill Diana?

Score:

• 18 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

IO Interactive has been on quite a ride with the first demo of Hitman: Absolution – touring the world with the code, showing it off to hundreds of thousands of excited people. The response was so overwhelming, we decided to release the full playthrough a few weeks ago. And now, after having captured two of the most busy gentlemen on the team, we are following up with a new asset to ensure everyone gets the full experience.

Join Game Director Tore Blystad and Gameplay Director Christian Elverdam as they take us all behind-the-scenes of the award-winning Hitman: Absolution, with a full 17 minute commentary version of the “Run For Your Life” playthrough. The commentary will let you learn first-hand what it takes to create a living and breathing world. The aim is for the fans to gain new insight into the creation and ambition for the game and get a taste of what players can expect when they enter the mindset of the original assassin: Agent 47. We hope you will enjoy it!

Score:

• 17 Comments 1 Reply
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

At this very moment, an army of hard-working team members are into the second day of presenting what is a true labor of love for IO Interactive – Hitman: Absolution. The knowledge that millions of fans have been waiting for news on Hitman is making the guys give it everything they have to present a game that we’re extremely proud of at IO. Lifting the veil on the development of a new game is always fun but given the connection between the studio and Hitman, this time it’s more exciting than ever.

And the debut trailer? Well, see for yourself. Agent 47, the world’s deadliest assassin, returns to take on his most dangerous contract ever. This time, he finds himself betrayed by the people he trusted and must use every skill and talent he has available to claw his way out of a dark conspiracy, which takes him through a corrupt world of twisted enemies. Thankfully, 47 is a resourceful individual and nothing will stand in his way for long.

When you’re creating a game with the scope of Hitman: Absolution, you don’t just have one finish line at the end of the race – you have lots. In fact, it can sometimes feel like you’re running a relay race all by yourself, constantly handing over and simultaneously receiving the baton to go another lap around the track. It’s exhausting, sure, but every time you complete a lap, a new surge of energy hits and you can run on that high for a long time.

Coming to E3 and delivering this debut trailer for Hitman: Absolution, as well as the presentations on the floor, has provided us with a massive boost of energy, which will come in handy for the next months as we push to make the game the absolutely best it can be. IO and Hitman are intertwined on an almost cellular level and with this game, we’re taking everything to the next level. We trust you will all enjoy the experience.

Score:

• 26 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook