‘Hitman 3’ Launch Trailer Shows a Richly Detailed World – Coming to PSVR January 20th

By
Scott Hayden
-
19

Ahead of the launch of IO Interactive’s PSVR-compatible stealth assassin game Hitman 3, the studio has released a slick new trailer which promises a world rich with interactivity, far-flung set pieces, and a bunch of immersive narrative to boot.

Hitman 3’s launch trailer feels less about all the cool and inventive ways you can take out targets (after all, that’s still the main draw of the series) and more about bringing the player a more cinematic experience. Beyond drumming up a final rash of pre-orders before tomorrow, it seems there’s a reason we’re getting a cinematic trailer instead of pure gameplay one day before launch. If you’ve stuck with the series this far, you probably already know you can kill anyone with anything. But why?

The game’s main writer Michael Vogt says in a recent developer highlight that in comparison to previous entries in the franchise, Hitman 3 is set to offer up a deeper story that closer ties it to the brooding, dark nature of the series.

“The story […] becomes more prominent as you go along, as you move through the chapters,” Vogt says. “In Hitman 1 (2016), the story was really just kind of a background presence, and I think many players didn’t even take much notice of it. And then from Hitman 2 (2018) onwards [the narrative] becomes much more front and center.”

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Image courtesy IO Interactive
Image courtesy IO Interactive
Image courtesy IO Interactive

As Agent 47, you and your handler Diana take on Providence, the shadowy organization that created the world of assassination as we know it.

“At the same time, 47 is on a somewhat unwilling journey towards emancipation, towards becoming his own conscience and making his own decisions. Diana on the other hand, her principles and values are very much being put to the test in the face of ultimate power,” Vogt says.

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Hitman 3 is coming tomorrow, January 20th, on PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S & Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games and Stadia.

Available with PSVR support, the game also includes the ability to play Hitman 1 and 2, however you’ll need to have relevant access passes. Anyway, it’s complicated.

Note: only the PlayStation version offers VR support at this time. Moreover, the game only offers support for DualShock 4 controllers, re: not PS Move.

We’ll be serving up our review very soon, so check back for our full thoughts on the first VR-compatible Hitman title.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • disqus_nUte0XSviO

    It’s not true that you can’t play Hitman 1 and 2 in VR. See this launch guide from IOI https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-pre-launch-guide/

    • Hi! Thanks for the correction. First brain fart of the year :P

  • Alex

    I don’t own a PSVR, I find it sad that they take the time to offer VR support with no PS Move… hope this come to PCVR eventually and get some genius people to mod this to have motion controllers. Right now it seems half baked to me… again :(

    • ConfessJesusalvation

      They really are trying to push ps and psvr but it weird. They didn’t release a psvr for the ps5.

      • Alex

        next holidays maybe or in 2 years. Probably waiting for new content to launch the PSVR2 since there’s nothing big coming 2021 for now imo

        • Sinshi Uzumaki

          There are many reasons. Sony even said they didn’t want to launch many things at the same time for not to demand the costumer with many purchases.

          • Bob

            Calling it: Q3/Q4 2022 release

          • Sinshi Uzumaki

            I predict from Q4 2021 till Q4 2022.

  • ConfessJesusalvation

    I’d like to play this but it’s not worth buying a entire ps4/psvr rig for one game. The psvr has ultra low resolution too. Hope the game gets a pcvr update or mod.

    • namekuseijin

      ultra low resolution = more than half of Quest 2 resolution in either axis

      But of course, games may need to render in far lower resolution than screen resolution – like indeed most Quest games do. after NMS, I was very suspicious of this one being even blurrier, all with such modern graphics and big crowds. Well, they tuned it a lot and found clever ways to manage crowds (they fade in and away in the distance), along with usual VR optimizations like getting rid of shadow projections and “reflections”.

      it’s now one of the best looking games on psvr and with quite good resolution too boot, at least on Pro. Very impressive.

      even I myself was shitting on their choice of gamepad for controlling, but ds4 is actually motion tracked by the camera, as long as the camera can see the strip of led on its front. Aiming guns were natural, hitting guards with blunt objects likewise and even the infamous killing wire was pretty spot on, though may glitch with wrong timing.

      Quite marvelous release for VR, can only get better with 2 hand motion tracking down the line…

      • the vast majority

        Nice, Can’t wait to play this game in Vr. The first two Hitman games were amazing as well.

        • namekuseijin

          the previous games are both in VR too on 3 – you just need to unlock them if you’ve purchased them before.

          that Maldives isle is beautiful

          • the vast majority

            Can’t wait to play that level.

  • doug

    Gamepad control in first-person VR is only appropriate when the player-character is wearing handcuffs. It’s lame. Saints and Sinners is technically superior to this kind of crap. Having to shake a skull off a shiv was a nice touch from those developers.

    • Amni3D

      A lot of hardcore PCVR players have been saying the gamepad control scheme works surprisingly well here, so.. I feel people are trying to gatekeep VR content a little too much.

      While Saints and Sinners has an exceptionally well put together control scheme, that game’s content is not very good, to be polite. Hitman constantly has you thinking, and that creates an inherently more immersive dynamic. I’ll take the control scheme hit if the game makes up for it in design.

      • namekuseijin

        indies can’t compare to AAA studios, that’s all

        if they think people will become attached to VR to play idiot arena ragdoll shredding, cooking, fitness and rhythm minigames, they’re really delusional

        VR so far has enjoyed popularity because Sony was farming content for their headset. Battlezone, Eve, Batman, RE7, Dirt Rally, Skyrim, Borderlands, this one and many lesser known games were made to sell psvr and later ported to pc. Quest has been selling because it’s a cheap great headset to connect to a pc and play that content, not because of dozens of minigames in its lackluster native library…

        and given Valve only came up with a demo years ago and a game years in the making, I expect the next wave of big VR content is only happening once PS5 VR is here.

        • Amni3D

          I wouldn’t champion AAA studios that much. A lot of what Hitman is riding on was figured out in the early PC era, with studios operating on a fraction of the budget, while getting comparable gameplay depth. See the original Thief. In reality, we need AA back in the industry if you want a consistent stream of quality titles.

          VR indies struggle with a lack of experience compared to flatscreen indies, and VR AAA struggles with the same issues holding flatscreen AAA back.

          I’m open to play whatever that’s good. I just hate the gatekeeping people do in the VR scene even though we’re all starved for content regardless.

          • namekuseijin

            > VR indies struggle with a lack of experience

            totally. it’s not just in optimization tricks, but most look like they’ve never played (good gatekeeped) games before

  • I love halfway through the trailer when the one guard takes out his rifle and it just “pops” from his back to his arm with no follow through. Nice animations there.