Hitman is a franchise that prizes subtlety, finesse and professionalism above all else - so it's of little surprise to find Square Enix keeping quiet over a potential 6th outing. Following on from 2012's well-received Hitman: Absolution this mysterious, untitled sequel project has so far managed to elude all identification, save for one cache of concept art allegedly displaying the game.
With reports of two simultaneous Hitman projects in development and an alternating release schedule planned by Square, it appeared as though Agent 47 was all set to receive the Assassin's Creed/ Call of Duty treatment. Sadly, for fans of the cue-ball killer, it now appears that SE Montreal's contribution to this dual-wielded series has fallen by the wayside, to be replaced by an Android and iOS-only title.
The news comes after Videogamer unearthed a series of explicit references to the project discovered in the CVs of three former developers. Posting on popular networking site linkedIn one senior designer described the alleged title as a "re-imagined" take on the series, featuring both 1st and 3rd person perspectives. Anthony Pressacco, a network engineer tied to the Montreal team also referenced elements of online play, including leaderboards and *gasp* microtransactions. Next-gen stuff. Most revealing of all however, was the profile of senior game designer and potential project lead Richard Knight, who stated that the title had been formally cancelled at some point last year.
Pressacco's page goes on to discuss the unannounced mobile title, suggesting all three men have now switched gears to focus on Hitman for smartphones. This latter reveal corresponds with what Square Enix announced back in June of last year, when the company stated that SE Montreal would begin shifting focus on to smaller formats.
Having moved the Canadian studio away from the mainline series it now falls to established Hitman helmers IO Interactive to produce a next-gen sequel. The Danish developer is known to be working on a Hitman followup of its own, though whether this title will end up incorporating elements of Square Enix Montreal's initial vision remains unclear. Given the 5-year wait for Absolution the last thing fans will want to hear is bad news regarding the next entry in this suave sleuthing series. Thankfully Square seems to be just as anxious to get the franchise rolling as anyone, and with IO Interactive back in sole command of the series, 47's continued success seems assured.
Would a yearly - or at very list, a quicker - Hitman release have helped or hindered the franchise? How can Square Enix build upon the success of Absolution? Have your say in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest Hitman news, right here on Game Rant.
___
Hitman: Absolution is available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
Follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.
Source: Videogamer