The new Hitman title is far from your normal AAA video game release. For starters, it's digital-only (at least for now), but that's not even the most peculiar aspect of Agent 47's next adventure.
Upon the game's announcement, Square-Enix detailed that the game would be $60 but would be released incrementally. On launch day, players would have access to a sizable portion of Hitman but not to everything developer IO Interactive has planned for the game. Over time, more and more content will be added to the game in the form of frequent updates. In a way, it's like a season pass, but involving a whole game designed in the way developers have long rolled out DLC.
It's confusing, to say the least, but it's about to get a little more confusing. IO, over on its Hitman blog, have announced there will now be another way to pay for Hitman in the form of the "Intro Pack."
Players can spend $35 for the Hitman Intro Pack to have access to all the content available on day one. If you are wondering what that includes, IO says it will be six campaign missions and the open-ended contracts mode with 800 possible targets, all set in one of the game's three day one locations: Paris, Sapienza and Marrakesh.
Hitman will then receive updates in April, May and June, with each month adding a new location, missions and contracts. April will see the introduction of a Thailand location, May will take players to the U.S., and finally, June will add a Japanese setting.
Players can then spend $30 to upgrade to the full version, which will then grant them access to all future Hitman updates. Essentially, it's like spending $35 for a game and then purchasing a $30 season pass separately. Those who choose to try out the game first with the intro pack will end up paying $5 extra than if they bought the whole game for $60 at the start.
Confused? It's honestly not quite as convoluted as it sounds. Spending $35 to try out the game isn't a bad deal, especially since Hitman was recently delayed in order to have more content on day one. Players who choose the Intro Pack should find a sizable chunk of gameplay to be had, and if it turns out they really enjoy the game, they aren't paying much more to upgrade to the full version. You can check out the infographic at the bottom of this article for more details.
Hitman is scheduled to release in March on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Those who preorder the full version of the game will be granted access to the beta, which will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4 and PC.
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