Hitman 2 has been officially confirmed. This brings to an end a story of one the worst kept secrets in the build-up to E3 2018. News of Hitman 2 first began to leak when WB Games teased that they would be announcing a big game prior to E3, yet those rumors became much more solid when the logo for Hitman 2 was leaked onto Warner Bros’ Interactive Entertainment’s website.
Obviously, Hitman 2 isn’t the second ever entry in the franchise. It is, however, the second game since the adventures of Agent 47 went through a huge overhaul. In 2016, IO Interactive and Square Enix published an episodic Hitman game that was released throughout the year. There was some initial concern about the new Hitman but it ended up a huge success, with fans and critics alike. With Hitman 2 IO Interactive and new partner WB Games are taking the franchise in a slightly new direction.
Related: Every Confirmed & Rumored Game at E3 2018
WB Games announced Hitman 2 with a special livestream event on Thursday, which predates E3 2018 by almost a week. The livestream opened with a trailer, which can be viewed above, that teased many details that were later confirmed by WB Games.
The most interesting thing about Hitman 2 is that it won’t be another episodic release. Hitman 2 will take player (and Agent 47) across a number of locales include the rainforest, a racetrack and of course swanky mansions. The game will release all at once. Every level (of the main game) will available on Hitman 2’s release date later this year.
Since it’s modern video game, there will be (paid) expansions to Hitman 2. Two lengthy DLCs have already been announced and are available for purchase. Yet, those expansions will come at a late date. Hitman 2 is going for a much more of complete package feel than the 2016 game with its episodic structure.
Even though the episodic structure was controversial, at first, many Hitman fans will probably be sad to see it go. The Hitman formula worked surprisingly well with the staggered release of an episodic levels. The wait between missions in 2016’s Hitman allowed players to fully explore the extensive maps of each mission and uncover the many, many secrets they contained.
Undoubtedly, Hitman 2 will have the same level of detail in their map and mission design. After all, it’s still be made by IO Interactive. Yet with everything being released at once, it probably won’t encourage exploration or invention as much as it’s immediate successor.
For those who are really curious about Hitman 2 though they will have a chance to play it, immediately. Those who pre-order Hitman 2 will get access to a new co-op mode called Sniper Assassin. Sniper Assassin functions, a bit, like a demo for Hitman 2. The mode allows to play to work together to eliminate targets from a large distance using a sniper rifle. It’s the first time Hitman has really had any type of multiplayer mode being a mostly single-player experience.
More details about the game will probably be unveiled at E3 2018 proper. For now, fans of Agent 47’s bald killer head can rest easy that more adventures of the assassin are on the way and coming very soon.
More: Hitman TV Show Being Developed For Hulu
Hitman 2 is coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 13, 2018.
