Hitman 3's roguelike Freelancer mode pushed back until later this year
"The next evolution of Hitman."
Hitman 3's forthcoming Freelancer roguelike mode has been pushed back.
IO Interactive has published an update on its Hitman 3 - Year 2 content, following an announcement at the start of the year.
The Freelancer mode will see Agent 47 off on a series of roguelike missions from a customisable safehouse, but IO has stated it needs more time. The offering will now be released in the second half of 2022, instead of this spring.
"We see Hitman 3: Freelancer as the next evolution of Hitman and an entirely new way to engage with the world and characters that we've built into the World of Assassination over the last seven years," reads a statement from IO.
"We've concluded the main campaign with Hitman 3, but the world has so much more to offer and we didn't feel as though we'd quite achieved everything we wanted to with Agent 47 in this trilogy.
"In short, this mode is quite expansive and involving. It's built for players that want to dive deeper into what a Hitman game can be and for that reason, we've decided to give it more time.
"The truth is that it's a luxurious decision for us to make. Hitman 3 has been a success and with that, we're able to give our team that extra time to tighten the bolts and make sure that the mode is as close to our ambitions as possible. We want it to land well and be a platform for Hitman players to enjoy this game world for a long period of time."
The studio has playtested the mode to positive feedback, but needs more time to improve the gameplay experience.
Expect a deep dive into the mode soon.
In the meantime, content previously targeting an April release is now aiming for a 24th May release.
That includes reactivated elusive targets and featured contracts, as well as elusive target arcade content - as pictured below. That's in addition to PC ray-tracing in a patch.
Then, in July, a whole new map will be released. Set on Ambrose Island, the narrative is set before the events of Hitman 3, so will fill in some intriguing story details in the World of Assassination trilogy.
You can check out the full roadmap on the IO website.
We also interviewed voice actors David Bateson and Jane Perry, who play Agent 47 and Diana Burnwood respectively, discussing the relationship between their characters and the potential for IO's forthcoming Bond game.