Pre-orders for the upcoming Hitman title for the PlayStation 4 were cancelled last month, as Square Enix and IO Interactive decided to make the game into an episodic title, instead of releasing it in full as was previously intended.
"After a lot of consideration, we decided to take the full leap and publish Hitman as a truly episodic game experience with a major live component," said IO Interactive in a statement, explaining the importance of releasing the game at a quality level that gamers have come to expect from titles in the series.
For gamers who are still waiting for updates on the game, there is good news. Pre-orders are once again back up for Hitman, now with its episodic approach explained.
"The episodic nature of Hitman allows us to craft both individual stories centered on Agent 47's targets as well as longer season stories involving 47, Diana Burnwood, the ICA, and an entirely new main cast," IO Interactive wrote in the official PlayStation blog.
The structure for Hitman was said to be inspired by current TV series, with the main story and individual missions occurring in parallel and then merging as the first season of the game progresses.
Through pre-orders, gamers can choose between the options of either the Intro Pack or the Full Experience. Both options, however, will guarantee that players will gain access to the game's upcoming beta version, which will be launched next week on Feb. 12. PC gamers, on the other hand, will not gain access to the beta version until Feb. 19.
Gamers who pre-order any version of Hitman will be able to gain access to the Blood Money Requiem pack, which will include exclusive digital items within the game that were inspired by Hitman: Blood Money such as the Requiem Legacy white suit, the Blood Money shirt, tie and gloves, the silenced ICA-19 chrome and the white rubber duck explosive.
As well as being the first gamers to gain access to the beta version, PlayStation 4 users will also be granted exclusive access to the Sarajevo Six, which are six bonus contracts featuring a side story that revolves around six former members of the CICADA paramilitary unit. Gamers will be hunting down the targets, with one contract made available for each location in Hitman.
Despite the canceled and restarted pre-orders, the game will still be launching on March 11 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game's release will also include the first Sarajevo Six contract named The Director.
