• The Hitman IP Drama

    by
    Kenneth
    Published on 05-29-2017 01:09 PM
    3 Comments Comments


    If you haven't already read there is an interesting situation going on with the game Hitman and its developer IO Interactive. Hitman is a stealth game published by Square Enix in March of 2016. The unique aspect of this game was that it implemented something called seasons. Seasons were a way to distribute content over a period of time in what they call episodes. So essentially you pay for the game and over the course of a year all the content would be released. The community loved this because each month or so they got a new map that was already paid for. It was the perfect strategy. Have people enjoy one map at a time to its fullest extent and by the time they are getting bored of it the new one is either out or about to come out. It was very similar to a Telltale game like the Walking Dead where once you buy it, each episode comes out every month and not all at once. Everything seemed to be working out great until Square Enix recently announced they are dropping IO Interactive simply because they don't think it made enough money. This is where it gets interesting. Nobody knows what is going to happen to the Hitman IP now.


    If you head to the Hitman Reddit community you will witness an outcry for Square Enix to give IO the Hitman IP so at least they can continue making this game everybody fell in love with. You will also notice a lot of hatred for Square Enix for even dropping IO after implementing such an innovative system into the genre that seemingly went well. But Square Enix still has not released an official statement regarding what is going to happen to the Hitman IP. The community is afraid that Square Enix will keep the IP and drive the game into the ground with some money grab implementations.

    But now there is a report that the IP is staying with the developer. DvASystems showed me this article which states that the IP will be IO's. This is the only website I can find that has this 100% confirmation. I am not a journalist so I cannot promise that this is the correct information since there is so little out there but if this is true than there is light at the end of the tunnel.
    This article was originally published in forum thread: The Hitman IP Drama started by Kenneth View original post
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. DvASystems's Avatar
      DvASystems - 05-29-2017
      A nice read, good job.

      Good catch Kenneth, was confirmed true.
      Square Enix willing to give up Hitman rights to ensure series future • Eurogamer.net

      IO will retain the rights to the Hitman IP.
    1. Nyarly's Avatar
      Nyarly - 06-05-2017
      Hm, these news posts are so hidden, I almost missed it!

      I was so hyped by Hitman, and so sad when I heard it wasn't the full game at release...
      And that is exactly why I didn't buy it. You can never be sure editors will keep their words.
      I hope IO will manage to complete the development, and i'll buy the full game once they've done it.
    1. Ashoran's Avatar
      Ashoran - 06-05-2017
      Well they've released the first season, it has like 5 episodes I think and you can buy a physical edition too! It's well worth the money, amazing game overall... or first season