Posted Thu Jan 14, 2016 at 12:38 PM PST by Justin Clark
Oh.
Earlier today, Sony sent out a mass message over the PSN stating that pre-orders had been cancelled due to "the configuration of the product...has changed significantly." We now know what they meant: 'Hitman' has been chopped up into bite sized chunks to be rationed out monthly over the year.
According to a statement from Io: "We’ve always said we won’t put anything out until it’s ready. That means what we release has to hit the quality level you have come to expect from a 'Hitman' game."
"It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly and we fully acknowledge that the decision may frustrate some players. But it is a shift that we believe will ensure the best possible foundation for this game and the future of 'Hitman'."
The plan now is this: The prologue and the Paris mission they've been highlighting in most of the gameplay footage so far will release on March 11th, as scheduled. Italy will release in April, then Morocco in May, and new missions released every month until what they're now calling a "season" ends late this year with a mission in Japan.
Folks who like their game purchases nice and simple will be pleased to know the full game can still be purchased upfront for $60, which will give you access to every episode as it releases. There's even a Collector's Edition that can be had for $140 they go over in detail here. If you decide to go piecemeal, the intro and prologue can be purchased for $15, at which point you can buy the other episodes as individual add-ons for $10 a pop, or if you decide you're in for a pound, you can pay $50 and you're good for the complete game again. Alternately, Io will be releasing all the missions on a single disc at the end of the year. You know, when the game will actually be completed.
Well, at least this makes sense now.
You can find the latest info on 'Hitman' linked from our Video Game Release Schedule.
Source: Io Interactive
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