In an interview, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak confirmed the company is still working on the Hitman series following the announcement of 007 First Light, and that the next game in the series will happen, but only after co-op does.
Hitman: World of Assassination can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. First, IO Interactive dropped a special mission that had Bond fans embody Agent 47 as he attempts to bring down Le Chiffre (a role reprised in-game by Mads Mikkelsen from Casino Royale), and most recently, Agent 47 has been employed by Eminem (cast as himself) to bring down his alter ego, Slim Shady, in another special DLC mission that launched this week.
In a new interview with Variety, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak has continued the hype behind the Hitman series and has inadvertently confirmed the series’ continuation. Abrak goes on to say, “of course there will be more Hitman,” adding, “But right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you’ll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination. But we will, after that, be talking about the next Hitman,” regarding the future of the franchise. It appears co-op assassinations are coming before any talks of a Hitman 4.
IO Interactive takes special care with the Agent 47-led franchise, and developers worked closely with Eminem himself to distinguish the Eminem persona from Slim Shady. Abrak mentioned Eminem’s inclusion into the universe of Agent 47 was seamless, saying his style of storytelling and the dual personalities of the artist is a natural fit for the title. Abrak also mentioned the way IO Interactive selects Elusive Targets isn’t always cut and dry, he explained, “it’s a combination of availability, but mainly it’s about us figuring out what could be surprising, exciting and a really good fit for a storyline in our universe with these celebrities,” when it comes to the cameo targets introduced to World of Assassination.
The special elusive target mission featuring Eminem, Eminem vs. Slim Shady, can be dived into right now as free DLC for World of Assassination.
