The 2016 Hitman reboot is getting a direct sequel called Hitman 2 that launches in November. Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced the sequel in partnership with developer IO Interactive during a livestream ahead of next week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
WB began teasing the game this week with glimpses of something that, at first, looked like a racing game. But the fast cars seen in that WB Games tweet serve as the backdrop in one of the new levels in Hitman 2. According to the trailer, Agent 47 — who returns as the game’s hero — will have a chance to sabotage a vehicle, impersonate a driver, and get into all sorts of other mayhem as part of his mission to eliminate his targets.
IO confirmed that the game will also launch with its complete story on the disc. This abandons the episodic format that the company established with Hitman 2016, but the studio is promising to keep the game fresh with ongoing updates after release. I will miss the episodic structure because I think it gave me time to grow familiar with levels over the matter of weeks, but I also want to see if IO has any new plans for building on Hitman as a platform that go beyond the core missions.
If you are deep into Hitman lore, this game does continue the story that began in the first game. Dark cabals and a Shadow Client are … well, I don’t know, but I’m sure they all deserve to die. And Agent 47 seems like just the assassin that can handle such a job.
This marks something of a triumph return for IO and Hitman. The future of the series was in question after Square Enix let the studio and the IP go following years of ownership, but IO Interactive has turned its independence into an opportunity to do something bigger and better with a new publisher.