If you want to buy Hitman at a physical retailer, but don’t want to wait for the disc release later this year, Square Enix and Io-Interactive will be offering a Collector’s Edition for $139.99 (USD)/€139.99/£109.99 on March 11.
After tallying up the votes from fans, here’s what’s included in the Collector’s Edition on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC:
- Hitman Digital Game Download (Full Experience)
- 10” Agent 47 “Chessmaster” Statue
- Hardcover 60-page art book, curated by Art Director, Jonathan Rowe
- Agent 47 Iconic red tie and clip set
- Premium Collector’s Edition packaging (aka the box)
By pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition, or any version of Hitman, you’ll receive guaranteed access to the beta starting on February 12 for PS4.
Announcing the episodic release schedule for Hitman yesterday, Io-Interactive talked about the decision on their website:
Now, we’ve always said we won’t put anything out until it’s ready. That means what we release has to hit the quality level you have come to expect from a HITMAN game. To ensure that level of quality, we made a big decision on how we’re releasing HITMAN. After a lot of consideration, we decided to take the full leap and publish HITMAN as a truly episodic game experience with a major live component. It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly and we fully acknowledge that the decision may frustrate some players. But it is a shift that we believe will ensure the best possible foundation for this game and the future of HITMAN.
With Hitman’s release format changing, it will allow Io-Interactive to expand the storyline over multiple upcoming titles:
This initial game release will help us build the foundation for where we want to take HITMAN. The first game is part one of a storyline we see expanding over the release of subsequent games – so we want to make absolutely sure we get things right for what will be a great Hitman experience expanding over the coming years. This first step is going to shape what the games will ultimately become.
As we’ve said before, we want to shape the game with the people playing it and by going down this route we believe we’re creating the best possible base for success. We will be able to respond much faster to feedback, analyse player behaviour and implement changes on a regular basis that simply wasn’t possible before. We’ll be able to craft a long story arc that spans multiple games while at the same time crafting smaller arcs and stories that will find their conclusions within each game. We will get the chance to craft missions and revisit locations in ways that we’ve never been able to do before.
“The last thing we wanted to do is change what we have already said, especially this close to launch, and for that we sincerely apologize,” they added about the episodic structure.
Will you be getting the Collector’s Edition?
[Source: Hitman (1), (2)]
