Once IO Interactive managed to retain the rights to the Hitman property after parting ways with Square Enix, a lot of people were left wondering exactly what would become of the Hitman franchise? Well, it appears as if IO Interactive has plans on furthering Agent 47's exploits with some brand new adventures.
The news was posted via the official Hitman Twitter account, operated by IO Interactive. The tweet contains a short message that addresses Agent 47. It states that the profiles for the next series of targets have been uploaded, but it stops short with a 15 second video message. The interesting thing here is that the message begins to upload the next profile, but flashes an "Access Denied" on the screen.
It's also revealed that we won't know who the next target is until June 7th, 2018, which is just two days from now. It's an odd time for a revelation, especially with E3 just around the corner. Why not just wait until Sony or Microsoft's press conference and roll out the news then?
Alternatively, IO Interactive could be recognizing that there's just too much big news set to drop next week, and that it would be safer to simply make the big reveal this Thursday instead of trying to fight and vie for the attention of gamers during the busiest time of the year in gaming.
Of course, this also depends on the kind of announcement that IO is making for Hitman. It appears as if a new title is on the way, but we can't know for sure. The video message seems to be hinting at all new targets, which could indicate that perhaps a Hitman: Season 2 is in the works. That seems to be the conclusion that many gamers have reached with regard to the tweet that IO sent out.
Given that IO seems to like the format that was created with the 2016 reboot of Hitman -- rolling out new targets and missions piecemeal with episodic content -- it wouldn't be surprising if this was the format that the company stuck with moving forward.
If this is the new method for the upcoming announcement, then expect a string of new stages and a smorgasbord of new targets to take down.
The Hitman series has always prided itself on taking players to unique locations set in interesting structures.
Square Enix wasn't entirely pleased with the results of the episodic nature of the 2016 rendition of Hitman, hence why the publisher ended up parting ways with the Danish developer after initially joining with them back in 2009. The partnership lasted just a little under a decade, but produced a variety of games in between that time, including Mini Ninjas, Kane & Lynch 2, and Hitman: Absolution.
Come June 7th we'll find out exactly what the new game will be or what new adventures Agent 47 will have in store for him when IO Interactive lays out the details.
