Suspiciously soon after IO Interactive stated that the upcoming assassin versus everyone title, Hitman 3, is going to be an Epic exclusive that allows them to self-publish, IOI pushed out some equally interesting news.
Ghost Mode, the 1v1 competitive game mode that pit two players against each other in contract assignments, is going to close its operation on August 31 in Hitman. Further, the game mode will not be coming back; IOI announced that there are zero intentions to bring the game mode to Hitman 3.
The outfit that is only unlockable by playing Ghost Mode (The Phantom Suit) will be ‘added as an unlock’ in the upcoming title. This means that there will be five game modes in total for the upcoming Hitman 3, barring Ghost.
The campaign itself is the standard fare; it needs no introduction with cutscenes and specific individuals to eliminate quietly (or with guns blazing, depending on your mood) that match the plodding progression of plot that the prior two titles have introduced players to. Hitman 3 is going to be the final of the campaign with a ‘dramatic conclusion’.
We are super excited to reveal our next game and conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy!
This is HITMAN 3. Death Awaits.#DeathAwaits #HITMAN3 pic.twitter.com/ttiFKjW52y
— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) June 11, 2020
Elusive Targets is going to be a secondary core of Hitman 3; tasked with finding and eliminating a unique target with little help from the UI and system, Agent 47 will need to blend in with the environment as he browses the individuals near him to find his target. Once the target has been identified, Agent 47 then needs to figure out how to kill them on the fly.
With IOI stating that this is going to be shifted a bit from how it has been experienced before, and they are not yet ready to reveal those details.
Escalations brings back previous missions, yet everything has been dialed up to eleven with new cameras in unsuspecting locations, disguise restrictions based on level, and anything else IOI can figure out to throw at players attempting to complete the objectives placed before them. These tend to restrict common approaches, but arguably add little to the overall replayability of the sandbox levels unless you’re a glutton for punishment.
Sniper Assassin has also been named at making a comeback, removing Agent 47’s tendency to make things a little personal. Sit with a rifle and wisely eliminate targets before anyone can figure out what you’re up to, or where you are.
Contracts Mode is once again going to be the heart of user-generated-content (UGC) for the title; create your own contracts, challenge friends to complete ones that you’ve crafted (or highly rated ones within the community) and try your hand at new and bizarre experiences that can range from achievement hunting to surmounting next to impossible odds.
Even if you’re planning on waiting out the exclusivity agreement with Epic, Hitman 3 is frankly appearing that it’s ready to step into the light with a bunch of new sandboxes to play around (and murder people) within.