New Hitman 'Not the Full Game' at Launch - News
by Craig S , posted on 10 July 2015 / 5,270 Views
In what will no doubt prove to be a controversial move, IO Interactive has revealed via a new Q&A page on its website that the latest Hitman title will not be a complete title at launch:
"Hitman will launch on PS4, Xbox One and PC on December 8th this year as a digital download. That’s when the experience will begin. And it’s really important to us that this is understood as a ‘beginning’.
What we release on December 8th is not the full game. It’s a sizeable chunk of it. Throughout 2016 we’ll release more locations and missions until the story arc is done and finished. All of that content is included in the $60 price."
The company stresses, though, that it is not an Early Access game - what is released at launch will be fully polished and tested - and IO Interactive will reveal exactly what the new game will contain in the near future.
Also, unlike most episodic titles or traditional DLC, these future updates are all included in the initial game price:
"That $60 includes everything we create in this story arc; from what we release on December 8th through to the end of the story arc in 2016 and all the live events too. There’s no micro-transactions or hidden costs in there.
No extra paid DLC on top either. It’s one package, all-in for $60. We want that to be simple and clear and it was important for us to be up-front about that."
Hitman will launch digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC on 8th December. A retail release is expected in 2016.
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This is something that I don't want to see in gaming. I want the full game at release not spoon fed it over the month after. It's probably just a way to gauge how successful it is and how much resources/money they will put into "completing" the game after release. I suspect this could start to be a common practice.
i would prefer this then what other games have done with cutting stuff out of the game and then charging for it as DLC
Just waiting for the Splatoon fans to come and tell us that this is a brilliant move.
You know whats funny is I like it more on Hitman than I do splatoon. Honestly it is just like episodic content, just you pay up full.
And I like it less than I did with Splatoon. Splatoon's model worked because it existed within multiplayer with the idea of community progression and community longevity, not individual progression. On the other hand, Hitman as a single player experience cannot work on the same plane, so there is really no upside to this decision other than possibly losing audience before they play the full game and segmenting people's experiences.
They are fundamentally different as one is regarding a multiplayer game and the other is regarding a (primarily?) single player game so the comparison isn't exactly apt.
I'm a Splatoon fan but hate it's practices and refuse to pay $60 for it. Hi. This is a horrible direction to go for games, no matter the game, no matter the company. I understand they want in on that all important holiday money but no. I hope this is an exception and NEVER becomes a rule.
Okay! Dick move! Strutting out at E3 and bragging about how all the dlc will be free and then admitting "actually... it's because the game isn't sufficient with out it..."
I'm disappointed that IO Interactive would go the "splatoon" route ...
So it's kinda like Splatoon then?
It wasn't great when Nintendo did it. I bought the game at launch withoiut reading reviews, and I was confused/ frustrated at the lack of content.
Will they pay interest on the consumer loan?
So full price, but not the full game.
Well I know where I stand on this.
Waiting for that Game of the Year Edition. I promise you, the wait is always worth it, no matter the game.
Not interested in Hitman at all, but this isn't too far from what I expected after their E3 showing.
don't be stupid, just wait for the physical release if you're gonna buy it
I think this is about making sure their game is on a gamers mind for a full year. "more story mode available" get them to play it again and again to see more rather than playing it all in one go then the game is forgotten for another year or 2.
Just when you think Square is shaping up they go do something stupid...
Sad i wanted it so hard :(
Better than pricey DLC. Think of it as a TV series. You don't get em all at the same time (non-netflix style) .
They are telling a story and this is how they are choosing to do it. No one is forcing you to buy it before it is completed. Tons of people wait for a show to finish its season in order to watch it all at once.
I do hate the idea if they are only doing it this way to gauge interest and see if they need to put more money into the project vs cutting costs. That would be bad.
November and December are packed with games and beta releases, well for Xbox One owners at least. So we probably won't even both til sometime in 2016.
At least I'll have just cause 3 this holiday to help hold me over until squeenix releases the full damn game.
This sucks. I was looking forward to it. This episodic nonsense has to stop....We can thank Telltale games for this.
Episodic games I don't mind, you pay for small chunks at a time for small chunks of the game. In fact the developers have to make the game good if they want people to keep buying the episodes. And you can save money if you buy a game you don't like, don't like episode 1? That's only $5 lost instead of the full price of the game.
This kinda worries me that it will become the norm with several franchises in the future. I don't like this, but I hope they uphold their word on the free DLC's unlike Bungie with Destiny's expansions.
Splatoon her impact!
That's a horrible move. Anybody that follows this practice are complete garbage. Just release it when it's fully complete because this shit will just make you look bad and less appealing to purchase.
