Hitman III, the awaited follow-up to IO Interactive’s Hitman series has just been announced as a timed Epic Games Store exclusive for the PC. The game is slated for a January 2021 release, and if you’re one of the many who would rather wait for a Steam version, it won’t reach Valve’s storefront until 2022.
As for why this is happening, IO Interactive’s boss, Hakan Abrak, puts this into perspective. He states that “Self-publishing Hitman III is a big step for IO Interactive in achieving our highly ambitious goals as an independent studio”. He makes an interesting point as the prior Hitman games were published by either Square Enix or Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the 3rd title would be self-published by IO. Something that wouldn’t have been possible if the current partnership hadn’t happened.
HITMAN 3 pre-orders are scheduled to go live later this month and we’re pleased to have an updated line-up of platforms. In January 2021, you’ll be able to play HITMAN 3 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC, where the game will be available exclusively via Epic Games Store for 12 months.
So while this could be seen as a negative, it’s always good to see a developer being able to publish their own titles. There’s a handful of developers who are able to do this, including familiar names such as Platinum Games and Bungie.
Those who are concerned about not being able to transfer their prior game saves to Hitman III, not to worry. It was implied that there will be a way to transfer those over by the time Hitman III is released for the Epic Games Store.
Alongside the time exclusive news, a new video was released that showcases the new location of Thornbridge Manor, that resides in England.
Now, I do find this interesting, as I could have sworn Valve has something in place that would restrict games that released more than 30 days onto Steam after being released onto other digital storefronts. Not sure how this factors in here, but none the less, Hitman III won’t arrive on Steam until 2022.
Hitman III releases in January 2021 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC (Epic Games Store), and Stadia.
