IO-Interactive today released a new video showcasing the fan base surrounding the Hitman franchise and the importance that fan base has in the development of the next installment of the franchise, which will continually be updated with new content after its initial release.
The video begins with nine “super fans” that were invited to IO’s offices in May 2015, before the game’s announcement at E3 2015, to test it out. At multiple points in the video, it is mentioned that the development lifecycle of this Hitman game is completely unlike previous installments. This is due to IO approaching it, this time around, as a service or platform, rather than a singular game or product.
“Previously, it was like, our dialogue was, ‘We build a game. We ship a game. And then that’s it,’” said creative director Christian Elverdam. “Now it’s different. At least, it’s our ambition to make that very, very different. I mean, the second the game is out, we will continue [development], we will be listening, and we will do our best to listen to people; figure out what it is that makes them tick and then actually try to get it into the game very fast. That’s the premise here, right? That it will evolve. That we don’t know exactly where it’s going to end.”
Originally scheduled to launch on Dec. 8, Hitman was delayed to March 11, 2016 last month. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One when it launches.