Released back in 2021, Hitman 3 was a major success. It was the third game in a new trilogy of Hitman games, and while it did not reach the lofty heights of its predecessors, it was a great stealth game that once again let you play as Agent 47, an assassin working for a mysterious organization known as the ICA.
Playing as a hitman sure was fun, not only in Hitman 3 but more so in the earlier Hitman 2 and the fantastic Hitman 2016 game, each taking players to a variety of locations around the world from Paris to the Maldives. Killing his targets using a variety of methods from poison to his trusty silenced pistol, the game’s dark humor and great gameplay, plus replayability means many gamers are still enjoying the trilogy today.
The games were unified in 2023 in Hitman: World of Assassination, with the people behind the game, IO Interactive, releasing a new roguelike game mode called Hitman: Freelancer, that year. The Freelancer mode makes use of all the trilogy’s 21 locations and features improvisational gameplay.
There are also the “elusive targets”, targets which are available in the game for a limited amount of time. Most of these, though, can be replayed from the game’s “elusive target arcade”. Some major Hollywood stars like Gary Busey, Sean Bean and, more recently, Jean-Claude Van Damme have featured in elusive target missions, helping draw more players to IO Interactive’s game.
Actually, the Danish studio recently revealed that the game has reached 75 million players on X (via Eurogamer), quite a milestone for a game developed and published by an independent studio. This has been in part due to the “elusive target” mission featuring 90’s action star Van Damme, part of the reason why a million players jumped into the game in December alone.
75 million players for HITMAN World of Assassination! Achieving this as an independent studio is monumental. IOI is more solid than ever, driven by ambition and supported by our incredible community. pic.twitter.com/NYz2P7hKM4
— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) January 10, 2025
The game’s Van Damme mission (titled “The Splitter”) can be played for free until January 12 (this Sunday). This applies to both owners of the game and those who download the Hitman Free Starter Pack, which includes the game’s training missions and other content, and is available for free on Steam and other platforms. After January 12, the mission can be had for $5 US dollars.
In the game, Van Damme plays a character named Max Valiant, who aside from “doing the splits” is up to some nasty business involving clones in Hitman’s China map… The mission is harder than it seems, as according to IO Interactive only 40 percent of those who attempted the mission were able to take down Van Damme’s character, the fastest being able to do so in a whopping 21 seconds…
Apparently, more content is planned for the game, so maybe we’ll get more celebrity “elusive targets” in 2025. A new map for the game, like Ambrose Island (which was added to the game in 2022) would of course be great, but seems unlikely taking into account the Danish studio’s other commitments.
This is because aside supporting Hitman: World of Assassination, IO is now busy at work on a James Bond game, currently known by its codename Project 007. They also have a fantasy game in the works which they are currently calling “Project Fantasy”, the release date for both being currently unknown at this time.
What’s clear, though, is that the famous Danish studio has proven they can make quality games over the years, even if fans should not be holding their breath for Hitman 4 – that definitely is a long ways off. But as long as IO Interactive keeps adding quality content for Hitman: World of Assassination, it’s likely to draw in more players in the future.