Sony's most recent State of Play stream teased a number of exciting titles for the company's various systems. In order to build up the hype generated from last week's State of Play announcements and trailers, developer IO Interactive decided to give fans a look behind the scenes at Hitman 3's recently revealed virtual reality mode.
While Hitman fans were already aware that Hitman 3 will allow players to run through missions from the entire World of Assassination trilogy, IO Interactive wanted to give players an idea of what to expect when Hitman 3 comes out in January. In a YouTube video released on August 13, the game's staff also showed off some of the mode's technical achievements, and how the VR mode changes the gameplay experience.
In the Developer Insights video's opening moments, Hitman 3's Senior Game Designer, Eskil Mohl, discussed his first experience with the game's VR mode, and how he "immediately... knew" that it would be amazing. Interlacing interviews with the VR gameplay, IO Interactive then introduced creative director Christian Elverdam, who talked about the amount of intricate detail that went into recreating the missions for virtual reality. Specifically, he talked about how Hitman's world involved many "living, breathing" characters who go through their routine lives, and countless graphics for the physical world.
IO Interactive then discussed how PlayStation VR plays to Hitman 3's strengths because of its non-linear gameplay. Calling it a sandbox game, Mohl added that this gives players the freedom to choose the actions they want, no matter how strange they might be.
Hitman 3's lead game designer chimed in that using the PSVR headset had her listening and following the paths that interested her most. She claimed that this time in-game made her realize that the VR mode would be a fresh experience for players. For other IO Interactive staff, this realization came when wielding weapons in-game.
Specifically, one person talked about how the physical motion of swinging a crowbar at a victim was wildly different from simply using a controller. Another IO Interactive employee praised the immersion and "dense...details" of the game's first person combat. The developer video ended on praise for the excitement of Hitman 3's intricate world and many disguises.
The YouTube comments largely praised IO Interactive and its stellar work on the latest Hitman games. The only point of objection among fans are concerns that Hitman 3's stunning virtual reality gameplay will be exclusive to PSVR. However, because there is currently no confirmation that the game will be a PSVR exclusive, fans are reserving their disappointment until more news emerges.
But even if Hitman 3's VR experience is locked to PlayStation VR, IO Interactive is making sure that the Hitman trilogy will be available on a variety of platforms for its fanbase. Hopefully, this latest title will live up to the success of its predecessors.
Hitman 3 is releasing in January 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.