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Video game series

Hitman is a stealth video game franchise created by IO Interactive. Each installment of the series has players assume the role of a cloned contract killer named Agent 47, who travels around the world to assassinate various targets that are assigned to him by the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Gameplay focuses on freedom of approach, with most levels placing the player in a large sandbox location where they have free rein to explore and find different ways to reach and eliminate their targets. Stealth is a major component of the gameplay and players are given various tools to accomplish their objectives, such as suppressed weaponry, items which can be used as improvised weapons, and the ability to take disguises which allow 47 to blend in with non player characters (NPCs) and bypass most restricted areas without rousing suspicion. The first game in the franchise, Hitman: Codename 47, was published by Eidos Interactive for Windows in 2000 and introduced many of the features which would become staples of the series. Eidos would return to publish the next three games, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004), and Hitman: Blood Money (2006), for Windows and consoles, each building upon Codename 47's foundation and introducing new tools and mechanics to aid the stealth gameplay. After a six year hiatus, Hitman: Absolution (2012) was published by Square Enix (after their 2009 acquisition of Eidos Interactive) and deviated from the Hitman formula established by the first four games by featuring a more linear structure, which was met with negative responses from many fans of the series. After another hiatus, the next game, simply titled Hitman, was released in 2016. It was a soft reboot which saw the return to the classic Hitman formula, featuring six large sandbox levels that were released episodically throughout the year. The game was the first installment of the World of Assassination trilogy, with the second, Hitman 2, being published in 2018 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, after the franchise was dropped by Square Enix. In 2023, IO rebranded Hitman 3 as Hitman: World of Assassination, importing all content from the previous two titles to the game, free of charge. Mainline games in the Hitman series have been generally well received, with most critics and players praising the unique take on stealth gameplay and freedom of approach. The games have also been commercially successful, and the Hitman series has become IO Interactive's trademark franchise. Outside of the eight mainline releases, the franchise also includes three spin off games, two novels, and a comic book miniseries. Two live action film adaptations, Hitman (2007) and Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), which share no narrative connections with the games, have also been released.

When game developer Zyrinx dissolved in 1998, the remaining team reformed themselves as Reto Moto. That team went on to create IO Interactive (IO). IO's first intellectual property would be Hitman and they created the first game in the series, titled Hitman: Codename 47. Originally, IO wanted to create a "simple shooter" titled Rex Domonius, but the idea was scrapped by Reto Moto. Codename 47 was published by Eidos Interactive in 2000 and released for Windows hardware because "it was hard for us to get hold of development kits", Andersen recalls. "On top of that, 3D hardware was beginning to appear for the PC, which made it extremely interesting to develop for". The game sold over 500,000 copies and received mixed reviews due to its controls and difficulty. Contracts combines levels from Codename 47 with new missions depicting some of Agent 47's past contracts not featured in any of the first two games. These contracts are told through flashbacks, which 47 experiences after being hurt during a botched job in Paris, which was meant to connect Contracts to the next game in the series.

Hitman: Blood Money was developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 in May 2006. The game was developed alongside its predecessor and is a direct continuation of its events, explaining why Agent 47 was hurt at the beginning of Contracts. The main storyline of Blood Money revolves around the conflict between the ICA and a rival contract killing agency known as the Franchise, which seeks to obtain the same cloning technology that created 47, who becomes caught in the crossfire. IO and Eidos both put a lot of resources and time into Blood Money, achieving major improvements to the graphics, AI, and level design.

Hitman: Absolution was developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix, following their acquisition of Eidos Interactive in 2009. It was released on 20 November 2012 worldwide for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Before release, the developers stated that Absolution, while still a stealth game, would adopt many action game elements such as having a cinematic story driven narrative and more emphasis on gunplay in order to be accessible to a larger playerbase. for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to highly positive reviews. Episodic in nature, Hitman features six levels that were released throughout 2016, one month apart from each other, along with additional content, such as "Elusive Targets", "Escalations", and user created "Contracts" (similar to Absolutions "Contracts" mode). The developers chose the episodic approach to give themselves more time to work on each level, which as a result are larger and more detailed than in any previous Hitman game. Following the under performance of Absolution, the next title was conceived as a re imagining of the franchise as IO Interactive attempted to combine the gameplay elements introduced in Absolution with the open ended nature of older Hitman games. As such, each level was made to resemble a large and complex puzzle, where players are given free rein to explore and find different assassination opportunities, many of which are unconventional. The game also introduces a new storyline, as Agent 47 goes on a worldwide journey to complete several ICA contracts, which are linked to a "Shadow Client" who is locked in conflict with "Providence", a secretive organization that controls global affairs. It also explores 47's origins, which would be built upon in the following two games.

Hitman 2 was announced in June 2018 by IO Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the latter of which published the game following IO's acquisition of the Hitman intellectual property from Square Enix. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in November 2018. Like 2016's Hitman, it is structured around six large sandbox levels, but unlike its predecessor, the game is not episodic and introduces several new features and multiplayer modes. Players had the option to carry over levels from the first game at an additional cost; if a player already owned the first game, they were able to do so free of charge, while retaining all their original progress. The storyline continues from 2016's Hitman, as Agent 47 becomes caught in the conflict between the Shadow Client and Providence, and more of 47's origins are revealed. In January 2023, IO announced that Hitman and Hitman 2 would be merged into Hitman 3, which would be renamed Hitman: World of Assassination.

Hitman Go is a turn based puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montreal. The game was released for iOS on 17 April 2014, and for Android on 4 June 2014. The Microsoft Windows and the Windows Phones version of the game was released on 27 April 2015. A "Definitive Edition" including improved visuals and all additional content was released for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam on 23 February 2016.

Hitman: Sniper is a first person shooter developed by Square Enix Montreal. It was released for iOS and Android on 4 June 2015. The game does not include any story elements and focuses on Agent 47 executing targets from a static location using a sniper rifle.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is a first person shooter developed by Square Enix Montreal and the sequel to Hitman: Sniper. It was released for iOS and Android on 3 March 2022. It includes the same gameplay as its predecessor, without Agent 47 as a playable character.

A box set titled Hitman Trilogy (Hitman: The Triple Hit Pack in Europe) was released for PlayStation 2 on June 19, 2007, in North America and on June 22, 2007, in Europe by Eidos. It contains Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. The games in the collection are identical to the previously released stand alone versions.

The same set of titles released for the Hitman Trilogy were later released as part of a new compilation for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titled Hitman HD Trilogy, and was released on January 29, 2013, in North America, January 31, 2013 in Australia and February 2, 2013, in Europe by Square Enix. This compilation contains newly ported versions of Silent Assassin and Contracts for both consoles, as well as a new port of Blood Money for the PlayStation 3 (the Xbox 360 version was previously released as a stand alone). A digital bundle was also released for the Xbox 360 titled Hitman HD Pack, containing just Silent Assassin and Contracts, aimed at users who already owned the stand alone version of Blood Money for the same platform.

A compilation was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 11 January 2019 worldwide by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment through the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store featuring new ports of Hitman: Blood Money and Hitman: Absolution for both platforms. This port promised updated graphics, 4K resolution, improved textures and lighting, as well as updated controls for both games.

A digital only collection of all the games from the World of Assassination trilogy was released on 20 January 2022 by IO Interactive. It features Hitman 3 as well as access passes to play the content from Hitman and Hitman 2 within Hitman 3. A Premium Add Ons bundle includes all DLC for the games, excluding the "Seven Deadly Sins" DLC from Hitman 3. The Hitman Trilogy bundle is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and Epic Games.

A collection titled Hitman: World of Assassination was released on January 26, 2023. It allows the importation of all content from 2016's Hitman and Hitman 2 into Hitman 3.

Primarily from a third person perspective, the core objective of each level in the games are to kill an assigned target(s). In most cases, Hitman allows the player different options to accomplish this task. Players can perform precise or indiscriminate assassinations in order to achieve the mission goals; the games reward a subtle approach by awarding special weapons or cash bonuses if players earn a favorable rank. In an effort to complete his assassination(s) easier, 47 can wear a variety of disguises (such as repairmen, police officers, waiters, and a plethora more) to fool his enemies and his target(s), gain access to restricted areas and accomplish tasks that would be illegal if not for wearing a disguise. The focus of Hitman is not hiding in the shadows from the enemy, but rather blending in amongst them. As such, disguises, even though they are not mandatory, are a very important element to the player in order to make their assassination run smoother.

Hitman: Codename 47 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Jim Preston reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and calling it "A deeply flawed masterpiece that will, nonetheless, reward forgiving gamers." Codename 47 received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In April 2009, Square Enix revealed that Codename 47 had surpassed half a million sales globally. Silent Assassin received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor in every aspect. The game was also a commercial success, having sold more than 3.7 million copies as of 23 April 2009, which makes it the best selling Hitman game in the original series. Contracts was met with generally positive reviews; praise was directed at the improved gameplay elements, graphics, soundtrack, darker tone and atmosphere, while criticism was reserved for the lack of significant improvements and the familiarity with the previous two games. As of April 2009, the game has sold around 2 million copies. Blood Money was a critical and commercial success, selling more than 2.1 million copies. It has gained a cult following and is considered by many publications and critics as one of the greatest video games of all time. Absolution was met with a polarized reception. Most positive comments were concerning the game's graphics, environments and locations, and the varied gameplay options. However, many critics and many long time fans of the series disliked the game for its linear structure, as opposed to the open ended nature of previous installments. As of March 2013, the game had sold over 3.6 million copies, failing to reach predicted sales targets.

2016's Hitman received positive reviews; critics praised the game's episodic release format, locations, level design, and its replayability but criticized the always online requirement and excessive handholding. The game under performed commercially and caused publisher Square Enix to divest from IO Interactive in May 2017. Despite the slow start, IO Interactive announced the game had attracted seven million players as of November 2017 and more than 13 million players had played the game by May 2018. Hitman was nominated for Best Action/Adventure Game at The Game Awards 2016 and Evolving Game at the 13th British Academy Games Awards. Video game publication Giant Bomb named Hitman their Game of the Year in 2016. Hitman 2 was met with generally positive reviews, with most critics considering it to be an improvement over its predecessor. It debuted at tenth place in the UK's all format sales charts. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 10,162 copies within its debut week, which made it the fifth best selling retail game of the week in the country. The game was nominated for "Control Design, 3D" and "Game, Franchise Adventure" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. Hitman 3 received generally favorable reviews, with most critics regarding it as the best entry in the World of Assassination trilogy, and some even calling it the best Hitman game to date. The game was nominated for multiple year end awards, and won several of them, including "PC Game of the Year" at the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards. Hitman 3 was also the most commercially successful of the franchise, selling 300% better than Hitman 2 and making back its development costs in only a week.

This collection was a boxset that was released in 2007 and included three of the original Hitman titles. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money were all sold in this boxset together and it was released on the PS2. Just like the original releases of the games, the bundle was received positively. This HD collection was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It includes an Xbox 360 port of Hitman: Blood Money to both the consoles and an HD remaster of Hitman: Absolution. Both games were released on 4K with 60fps, has texture and lighting improvements, and introduces updated controls for a " more fluid experience". This bundle received a mixed positive review as noted by PlayStation Country, who gave the score a 7/10: "As a remaster, Hitman HD Enhanced Collection does deliver the best looking edition of these games to consoles. If either of these titles are missing from your Hitman collection, it's worth a look".

Following its announcement, Hitman Go was met with some skepticism from critics. However, the game received a positive reception with praise for the art, aesthetics, simple gameplay mechanics, and translation of Hitman to a mobile device. It received several nominations and awards from gaming publications and award organizations. Hitman: Sniper was met with generally favorable reviews. Some reviewers praised the cleverness and minimalism of its puzzle design, but wanted more variety from its activity dense scenarios.

A film adaptation of the game series was released in 2007. The film, titled Hitman, is set in a separate continuity from the game series, directed by Xavier Gens and starring Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47. Executive producer Vin Diesel was originally cast to play Agent 47 but was replaced for unknown reasons. The film also stars Dougray Scott, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei. In the film, the International Contract Agency is replaced by a similar group called the Organization, which, like the ICA, benefits from ties to various government agencies, is neutral in global matters and morality, and performs missions all over the world. Unlike the game wherein the hitmen are contracted from a range of backgrounds, the Organization instead recruits orphans and trains them from an early age. A reboot was planned but Olyphant stated on the Nerdist podcast that he had no interest in returning for a sequel and only did the original film in order to pay for his new house following the sudden cancellation of Deadwood. On 5 February 2013, it was reported that the film series was being rebooted with the title Hitman: Agent 47, directed by Aleksander Bach. Screenwriter of the original film, Skip Woods, wrote the screenplay with Mike Finch and starring Rupert Friend as 47 after Paul Walker, who was originally
cast, was killed in a car crash on 30 November 2013. The film also stars Zachary Quinto, Hannah Ware, Thomas Kretschmann, Dan Bakkedahl and Ciarán Hinds. In 2015, Hitman film producer Adrian Askarieh stated that he hoped to oversee a film universe with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films.

In November 2017, Hulu and Fox 21 Television Studios announced it would produce a television series based on the game. Derek Kolstad, Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon would serve as its executive producers. The pilot episode would be written by Kolstad. Kolstad has stated that his adaption of Agent 47 will differ slightly from that of the vision IO has already made. Despite being announced in 2017, he does not know when the TV series will start filming.

In various interviews conducted with IO Interactive, they have confirmed that despite Hitman 3 being the final game in the World of Assassination trilogy, it will not be the last game in the franchise.