Hitman 3 Freelancer is a new, roguelike-inspired mode coming to the assassination game this spring, adding a new safehouse and limited resources to agent 47's usual order of business.
Freelancer was the biggest announcement from IO Interactive's Hitman 3 Year 2 reveal event, which also covered other new features coming this year including a new map, and both VR and ray tracing support for PC players. According to the announcement, Freelancer will let players choose from a set of campaigns, each against its own criminal enterprise. 47 will be able to eliminate key members of the organizations on a selection of maps from all across the Hitman trilogy, finally tracking down its leader to whatever map you leave for last.
So far, so Hitman. But the big difference in Freelancer is that 47 doesn't have the backing of the ICA. Instead, you'll plan out each hit from your customizable safehouse, selecting just the right attire and gear for the hit at hand. Whatever equipment you bring will be lost for good if you're taken out (or if you stash it in a garbage can ahead of a checkpoint and forget to pick it back up), but black market suppliers located in the missions themselves will also be happy to restock you for a price.
Other new NPCs hanging out in missions will make your life harder, whether by guarding your targets or alerting them so they begin to flee after suspicious activity - you'll even find some other assassins out on the job (and they probably won't be very happy to see you).
IO Interactive says Freelancer mode is in the final stages of development now, and if it's piqued your interest, you have a few new ways to catch up before then: Hitman Trilogy Collection, which includes the missions from all three games playable in the upgraded Hitman 3 experience, is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S on January 20 - that's also when it will debut on Steam, and as part of the selection of bundled-in games for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscribers.
