Draft:Hitman: World of Assassination
| Hitman: World of Assassination | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Stealth |
| Developer(s) | IO Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | IO Interactive Square Enix Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | |
| First release | Hitman: Intro Pack 11 March 2016 |
| Latest release | Hitman 3 20 January 2021 |
Hitman: World of Assassination is a series of games within the Hitman video game franchise. All three games in the series, including Hitman (2016), Hitman 2 (2018), and Hitman 3 (2021), were developed by IO Interactive. In the subseries, players assume control of genetically engineered assassin Agent 47, who must embarck on a globe-trotting journey as he searches for the "Shadow Client" and eliminate members of the secretive organization Providence, which has ties to 47's mysterious background. All three games features large sandbox locations which can be freely explored by players. In each scenario, players are expected to blend in and understand social rules in order to find clues about the whereabouts of their targets and eliminate their targets without being detected.
IO Interactive envisioned the first game as a "digital platform, whereas they will add content at a regular interval. It was considered to be a soft reboot for the franchise, after the previous game, Hitman: Absolution underperformed both critically and commercially. After six episodes were released, Hitman was deemed a commercial failure, and IO's owner Square Enix divested from the studio. IO then partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the release of Hitman 2, and abandoned the episodic model. The third game in the series, Hitman 3, was self-published by IO Interactive.
The trilogy of games were largely considered to be one of the best stealth games ever made. While gameplay is largely the same across all three titles, critics praised the map and level design, gameplay loops, and diverse assassination opportunities. While both Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2 failed to find a large audience, Hitman 3 became the fastest-selling Hitman game. The entire trilogy had attracted more than 50 million players. While the original live service plans for Hitman (2016) failed to materialize, IO Interactive imported all 21 destinations from the World of Assassination trilogy into Hitman 3 free of charge, and simultaneously delisting both Hitman and Hitman 2 from sales.