We’re pretty sure that E3 is only taking place next week but it’s bound to be a massive event, given how many announcements have taken place already. Most of these are just to get smaller reveals out of the way for the real roster but the unmasking of IO Interactive’s Hitman 2 may have been prompted by a slight leak of the game.
IO Interactive, who are partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for this release, have since confirmed that Hitman 2 (which is not the same thing as Hitman 2: Silent Assassin) is going to be launching shortly — if you can call 13 November ‘shortly’. PC, PS4 and Xbox One are the launch platforms — there doesn’t seem to be any room for the Switch, at present.
The new launch trailer promises more of the same gameplay that made the originally-episodic Hitman such a hit: Exotic locations, an elegant, open-world approach to assassination, and a wide range of possible kill methods for the bald badass Number 47. If you’re out to kill a Formula One driver, how would you execute him? Any number of ways, from explosives to just… loosening the right bit of the suspension. And we’re doubly sold on this one because the Announce trailer is narrated by none other than Sean Bean. If Hitman 2 doesn’t include a mission where actor and walking meme Bean is a target, we’re going to be very disappointed.
What Hitman 2 does have is a slight change to its release structure (it’s going to be released as a full title rather than an episodic game) and a pre-order that you can access immediately. Hitman: Sniper Assassin (the trailer is above) is a single-player/co-op short release that tasks players with taking down three targets in the fastest possible time — a whole lot like Hitman: Sniper Challenge, a pre-order bonus released with 2012’s Hitman: Absolution.