Hitman Kills Off Full Release, Goes Episodic
Jan. 16, 2016Hitman Kills Off Full Release, Goes Episodic
Square Enix announced this week that Hitman would fully embrace the episodic idea. The base game will contain a prologue and a location, Paris. This still releases March 11th. April adds Italy with May adds Morocco. Later this year players can explore Thailand, the US and Japan. The game will also feature weekly live events and “monthly updates”. We currently aren’t sure if these are every month or just the first few for Italy and Morocco.
The biggest difference is the pricing structure of the game. You can buy all 6 locations for $60 if you like. If you prefer you can buy the prologue and Paris (called the Intro Pack) alone for $15 and add on any other locations you want at $10 a piece or buy the Intro Pack ($15) and the upgrade pack to get the rest of the locations for $50. This release will be digital until all locations are out at which point a disc version will head to stores.
Beyond the pricing this seems similar to what has previously been planned. It will be interesting to see how this goes for Square Enix. The low cost of entry could help them out, however, some players may get their fill and not continue getting locations. The lower cost of entry gives players the chance to check out the game for $15 rather than spending a full $60. The digital only start also doesn’t allow the second-hand market to arrive until the disc version arrives much later.
Ultimately a big question will be whether or not there is enough content to justify the initial $15 purchase and the $10 add-ons. It also makes you wonder what this means with the comments they have had about the Final Fantasy VII remake. What do you think? Do you like this episodic idea? Do you hate it? Will this make you more or less likely to buy the game or at least try it out?
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MichaelVash7886
I’ve been a gamer for 25 years, from the NES days to the PS4, Xbox One, PC and Wii U. I play a little bit of everything from Mario to MGS to Final Fantasy. I write for examinercom and also run a podcast, though currently we are switching gears, more information to come on that.
yeah. looks like i won’t be playing Hitman until like…December? whenever they release the disc version.
I was just reading about their decision to do the Final Fantasy 7 remake in episodes too. I don’t understand the appeal of doing it this way.
