IO Interactive has announced that some pretty big changes are coming to Hitman 3. The game is being renamed Hitman: World of Assassination, and you'll also now get Hitman and Hitman 2 for free as part of your purchase if you didn't already own them.
Over on the official IO website, the studio says that the new Hitman: World of Assassination package will include Hitman and Hitman 2 "through the existing Access Pass system". This system adds levels and challenges from the first two games to Hitman 3, allowing you to play those stages with the additional gameplay improvements brought on by the third title.
If you're already a Hitman 3 owner, then you'll get an upgrade to World of Assassination at no additional cost. This will include the Hitman Game of the Year Access Pass, which bundles in all of the levels from the first game and its DLC, as well as Hitman 2's Standard Edition. If you want the extra Hitman 2 DLC levels in World of Assassination, you'll have to pony up a little extra cash.
The base Hitman: World of Assassination game will be available for $70 or your local equivalent. If you like, you can also purchase the World of Assassination Deluxe Pack, which includes the Hitman 3 Deluxe Pack, the Seven Deadly Sins Collection, and the extra DLC levels from Hitman 2. You can also buy these items individually from the new Hitman: World of Assassination in-game storefront, and if you've got the Steam version of Hitman 3, you'll only pay for the DLC you don't already own when you're buying the Deluxe Pack.
In addition to these changes, Hitman and Hitman 2 will be delisted from storefronts, so the only way you'll be able to buy any of the Hitman trilogy games digitally will be by purchasing Hitman: World of Assassination. If you have copies of Hitman 1 and 2, they will of course still work, but you'll no longer be able to buy Hitman or Hitman 2 separately via digital platforms.
IO says it's making these changes for the sake of making new Hitman players' experience "straightforward and concrete". It's fair to say that the Hitman series has become a melange of games, DLC, expansion passes, and content importing, so consolidating everything into a single package makes sense. Hitman 3 managed to drive a strong financial year for IO last year, so attracting new customers to the series should be as straightforward a prospect as possible.
These changes will take effect on January 26th, so if you're thinking of picking up one of the Hitman games, you may want to hold off for a few weeks, as it's about to get a lot easier to do so.
