IO Interactive has revealed that Hitman 3 was a commercial success for the studio, selling 300% better than the previous entry in the series. The foundation for this impressive success was laid shortly after launch when the game broke the series’ sales record. Now it appears the third installment has left that record in pieces.
Two days after Hitman 3 released, the developer IO Interactive shared an exciting piece of news claiming that the game managed to become the biggest digital launch in the franchise’s history. The studio accompanied the celebration with impressively high scores and praising quotes from critics, but unfortunately, IOI didn’t go into any specific figures regarding digital sales. The game’s achievements didn’t end up there, though, as it’s been recently revealed that Hitman 3 significantly outperformed its predecessor.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, IO Interactive’s CEO Hakan Abrak shared a few bits of information regarding Hitman 3’s reception and performance as a product. The game has "been 300% better commercially" than the previous title, Hitman 2, according to Abrak. This is a huge achievement considering that the last sequel was self-published by the studio. It was actually a risky decision by IO Interactive to move to an independent model of distribution since both the previous two games in the World of Assassination trilogy had official publishers. On top of that, Abrak reiterated that Hitman 3 received an immensely positive reception from critics becoming the highest-rated game among the modern Hitman reboots. All these amazing achievements became possible even despite the complicated conditions of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced studios to shift to a work-from-home development model.
For a game that divided the fan community with the controversial Epic Store exclusivity, Hitman 3 did exceptionally well. As an independent studio, IO Interactive decided to sign a deal with Epic Games, which was a hard shift after the previous two games were available on Steam. Not only did it anger players but also led to technical issues with the inability to transfer progress from Hitman and Hitman 2 to the latest game. It could’ve been a much worse story for IO Interactive, but luckily, the studio came up with a solution in less than a month since the title’s release.
Hitman 3 was a brilliant ending to the modern trilogy of Hitman reboots, and its impressive performance in sales is definitely a well-deserved one. Despite the fact that it is going to be a while before fans get the chance to see a new chapter in Agent 47’s dangerous adventures, the complete trilogy should work just fine for numerous replay opportunities. After all, a true Hitman fan never stops playing until all the possible assassinating scenarios are discovered, and there are plenty of them in the Hitman trilogy to keep players entertained.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz/Youtube