It’s clear that Hitman 3 is one of the most eagerly anticipated games hitting shelves next year, and it already caused a sensation during Sony’s PlayStation 5 event back in June.
Of course, like all previous Hitman games before it, Hitman 3 will also be launching on PC, while the game will also be pretty special for fans due to the fact that it will put an end to the “World of Assassination” trilogy which began with IO Interactive’s Hitman reboot back in 2016.
And now Danish developer IO Interactive has revealed more information about the game on its blog (via nme.com), amongst other tidbits the fact that it will launch on January 20, 2021, and that there will be two editions of the game, a standard edition and a Deluxe Edition featuring additional content.
The Deluxe Edition of the game includes the game’s soundtrack in digital format, a director commentary for each of the game’s missions, deluxe items and suits to wear in-game and additional in-game missions (Deluxe Escalations).
Also of interest to those planning to get hold of the PC version of the game is the fact that Hitman 3 will be an Epic Games Store exclusive until January 2022.
And the fact this will be a timed exclusive on Epic’s store for an entire year may upset those fans of the series who already own the previous two Hitman games on Valve’s Steam platform. I personally was expecting Hitman 3 to be available on Steam at launch so that I could be the owner of all three World of Assassination games on Valve’s store, but now I’ll either have to wait a full year in order to play this latest instalment in the Hitman series or grab it on the Epic store when it launches in January next year.
Definitely making this an Epic Games Store exclusive for a year will be like a slap in the face for Hitman fans looking to complete their collection of Hitman games on Steam, although thankfully players will be able to “carryover their current progression and unlocks from Hitman 2 on Steam into Hitman 3 on Epic Games Store”, according to the company. Also, the game’s new locations like England are looking pretty good, and IO will also be adding a few new twists to the formula judging by the trailer below.
It also makes sense for IO, as other developers like Remedy have done before, to partner with Epic for the release of Hitman 3, as the Danish company is self-publishing their upcoming game and Epic gives them a larger cut of the profits than rivals like Steam do.
Nonetheless, having to hop on to the Epic Games Store to play Hitman 3 was something I wasn’t looking forward to as I am not a fan of Epic’s store and pretty much prefer Steam, and have invested countless hours playing the Steam versions of Hitman 2016 and its sequel, meaning I might as well be getting the PS4 version of this Hitman game instead (which is a pity, as I really was looking forward to enjoying another round of murderous fun on PC).
At least owners of the PS4 version will be getting a free upgrade to the PS5 version (and IO has already said how it’s making the most of Sony’s upcoming machine with this game). The same goes for the Xbox One version, as the company will be taking advantage of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery to offer a free upgrade path to the Xbox Series X version.
Here’s hoping, then, that Hitman 3 ends up being a triumph like the previous two entries were despite the lack of a Steam version, and that IO’s upcoming game can bring a smile to Hitman fans and newcomers worldwide when it launches early next year.