Hitman is a 2016 stealth video game developed by IO Interactive. The game was released episodically for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from March to October 2016. Consisting of six episodes, it is the sixth mainline entry in the Hitman franchise. The game takes place six years after the events of Hitman: Absolution (2012) and the story follows professional assassin Agent 47 as he goes on a globe-trotting adventure and unravels the mystery behind a series of seemingly unconnected assassination assignments. Hitman features a number of large, open-ended sandboxes which can be explored freely by Agent 47. The game presents the player with various assassination opportunities, many of which are unconventional. IO Interactive introduced a "live component" to the game, with new content being delivered regularly in downloadable form. Square Enix Montréal was to work on the next Hitman game, though IO Interactive returned to lead the game's development following the underperformance of Absolution. The title was conceived to be a "soft reboot" and a "reimagining" for the franchise, as the team attempted to integrate the gameplay of Absolution with the open-endedness of earlier instalments such as Hitman: Blood Money (2006). According to the team, the game was a puzzle game with action and stealth elements, and that the team had spent a lot of time refining the simulation and artificial intelligence of each level. It adopted an episodic model as the team envisioned the game as a service. Marketed as a "World of Assassination", the game would provide a platform that would expand and evolve over time, and kickstart a trilogy of games. Upon release, the game received positive reviews, with critics praising the game's episodic release format, locations, level design, and its replayability while criticising the always-online requirement and excessive handholding. The game underperformed commercially and caused publisher Square Enix to divest from IO Interactive in May 2017. Following a management buyout, IO retained the rights to the series and partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for a sequel, Hitman 2, which was released in November 2018.
