In 2016 developer IO Interactive sought to rebrand the Hitman franchise somewhat, giving the fan favorite bald assassin a soft reboot. Hitman, Hitman 2 and Hitman 3 have all been received well by both critics and fans for features like the game's stealth mechanics, player choice for how to kill their targets, and the "Contract Mode" introduced in Hitman: Absolution, which allowed players to make their own missions for others to play online.
Now, after a year since the release of Hitman 3 only a few days away, IO Interactive have detailed its "Hitman 3 Year 2" plans on its website. Initially revealing the content in a stream, there seems to be a huge amount of new additions to Hitman 3 for fans. From enabling ray tracing features on PC, to a new roguelike game mode called Hitman Freelancer, Hitman 3 players seemingly won't have to worry about the game going stale for a little while.
Buried at the bottom of the long post on IO interactive's website was another interesting piece of content that will be brought to Hitman 3. The new map, which currently has the codename "Rocky," appears to be a map set on a tropical island or perhaps deep in the heart of a jungle. So far, next to no details have been given about the new map, and the developers above a picturesque screenshot of the map: "Agent 47 just doesn’t stop traveling. More details about this new map, codenamed ‘Rocky’, will be revealed later in Year 2."
While the developers may not have directly stated details about "Rocky," there is some knowledge to be gained from the screenshot of the map. From the screenshot, a spotlight shines over a wooden rope bridge between a jungle entrance and what appears to be some kind of fortification or settlement. Beneath the bridge is a river, with palm trees nearby. Also, as the name of the map would suggest, this new map features plenty of rocks. How this map will enter Hitman 3 though is still up for debate, with some even speculating it could be a map used in the newly announced Hitman VR for PC, a feature already available on PlayStation VR.
The consistent and large content updates for the recent Hitman trilogy is one of the many reasons fans celebrate the latest additions to Agent 47's assassination adventures. Besides the large anniversary content updates, there's also smaller updates that are brought throughout the year, such as the Christmas-themed content added last December. Despite the love fans have for the game, some believe it is still being snubbed more widely, as Hitman 3 was not nominated for the 2021 Game of the Year award.
Hitman 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IO Interactive