With Hitman 2016, developer IO Interactive wanted to craft what it called a "world of assassination". When the studio split from publisher Square Enix in 2017, many feared what would become of that world. Today, we have our answer: it's getting rolled into Hitman 2, giving players one complete package to enjoy. What's more, you might not have to pay a penny more to enjoy it.
In a new promo video for Hitman 2, IO Interactive breaks the situation down: all the content from Hitman 2016 is coming to Hitman 2, remastered and revamped to take advantage of Hitman 2's new features. This means all the new gadgets, all the new weapons, all the new gameplay mechanics from Hitman 2 will be available in levels taken from Hitman 2016.
Decadent Paris, bohemian Sapienza, bustling Marrakesh, glamorous Bangkok, rustic Colorado, and serene Hokkaido will all be ported over while getting a nice visual boost, which might make this the fastest turnaround for a video game remaster ever.
If you already own Hitman 2016, those levels will transfer to Hitman 2 without you needing to re-purchase it all over again. IO calls it the "Hitman Legacy Pack," but it's not clear if this is an all-or-nothing deal; Hitman 2016 was released episodically, so will players need all of the episodes to qualify for the free deal? The fact there's only one DLC would seem to suggest so. There's also no price announced for those who would be picking up the Hitman Legacy Pack separately.
We've reached out to IO for clarification on these questions and will update as soon as we have an answer.
If you want to play it safe and grab up all of Hitman 2016 so you can play it in its new form, you've only got a couple months to do so. Hitman 2 arrives on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on November 13.
Hitman 2 will be IO Interactive's first entry in the series as an independent developer since it was acquired by Eidos in 2004. As for why the split from Square Enix? It's a legitimately feel-good story.
