This is the first of four videos about the design of Hitman. Make sure to subscribe to get updated when they go live later this week: bit.ly/noclipsubscribe
ghost 001985 Read the title again. Also, noclip would never steal anything--they credit everything they don't record themselves, even random 3 second clips.
just a tip about future uploads: i love Hitman games, huge fan. But i almost didn't watch this video because of the 3 minute unnecessary extremely slow boring intro. intros should be no longer than 2 minutes, max. just a tip.
I was part of the 50% who were let go during SQEXIT in 2017, and I vouch for every statement made by my former colleagues in this doc. Everything considered, both IO and SE handled the layoffs gracefully, and gave incredible support to ensure we'd land on our feet. Thank you Noclip for this pristine documentary, it made me feel so proud of the parts I played in getting HITMAN (2016) off the ground.
lololol those lazy ass devs produced a half-baked product. i dont even blame SE, avengers had a 5 year dev cycle and yet they still made game not showing 5 years of effort. its unbelievable
Really cool to finally learn more about IO, and also tonally appropriate as a follow-up to the Telltale documentary. Not shying from the human side of the break from Square Enix, but also the resilience of those who stayed I hope would cause parent companies to stay their hand a bit to let the developer work it out.
True, but it's entirely possible that IO wouldn't be prospering as it is today if Square Enix hadn't left. Sqexit was what lit a fire under IO to turn their venture into something lean and sustainable. Square Enix helping so much to make the layoff procedures go smoothly and humanely probably helped give IO the agility it needed to turn itself around.
i saw a parallel to the Telltale documentary as well! but it's very different also in part because of the working marked structures their stories played out in. The people that were laid off from IO seem to have gotten better deals in terms of getting 4 months with pay and gotten a new job faster. A major point in the Telltale documentary was the lack of a security net and the games industry need to unionize. Well in IO, they were to a larger degree unionized as is a tradition here in Denmark.
Hitman is one of my favorite game series of all time, have been playing it since the first game. I would love a Blood Money DLC with the new features of the engine, but im also excited to see what Hitman 3 will be like. Great documentary! Cant wait for part 2-4 :)
Hah been playing it since Codename 47 as well, however at that time I was just a dumb little kid & couldnt get over the first few levels so I was playing missions 1-4 on repeat lol. I remember I didnt speak english at the time so I was just trying millions of ways to fail the mission before somehow I did what was supposed to do :))) . And it didnt even bother me, I liked to just shoot everyone after I blew my cover. The physics were incredible for that time like bullets having impact and you could move bodies that was so cool.
Them releasing an episode for free to get people into the game was such a smart decision. It's basically a modern version of shareware. Game demos don't really exist much anymore, since making a demo costs a lot more time and effort than you might think, but for Hitman they can "just" say that such-and-such level is free, and that's the "demo". Brilliant.
Indeed. That was the selling point for me as well. I remember doing the tutorial missions, being like "...okay?" and then that Paris level came, I was tailing the target through the hall with models promenading, techno music blasting... I alt+tabbed immediately and bought the game. Didn't regret it for 1 second.
As an avid Hitman fan and player since Codename 47, I found this documentary fascinating and beautifully compiled, with compassion. I look forward to the next part.
What a fantastic documentary. I have been watching IOI's highs and lows for years, always full of hope that they will be able to get back up. This documentary goes in depth as to what was happening during Absolution's and 2016's development, and the aftermath that I didn't know about. Noclip I love you
I'm happy to have spent those 60 bucks to take the complete series and have the patience to wait for every chapter. I was genuinely happy when finally a new mission was on, especially Sapienza. Has an Italian guy, I was amazed by the level of details these guys put to characterize the place, which is taken mostly from Amalfi, a very beautiful and unique place in southern Italy. I love this series since I was a little kid (which is not a good thing to say since is a game mostly for adults, but game stores never cared much for the age of costumers then) and I love the passion they put in to improve every aspect of it, even if it means making mistakes. Looking forward to chapter 3 of this beautiful masterpiece, the preorder is assured! Thanks, Noclip for this wonderful interview, I was really looking for something like this in a long time.
Well technically Sapienza is a mix of italian coastal towns like Amalfi (which I visited a week ago, very nice) and Vernazza in the Cinque Terre (also very beautiful). Vernazza is obviously the greatest inspiration, since both the fictional and real towns have a similar church, castle and streets
My gosh. All the news sites are writing about "Hitman 3" and "secret new IP from IO Interactive". Thanks for the video. Looking forward to the next 3 !
I actually think it’ll be exciting to see a bond game in the hitman style. The character’s are very similar in their jet setting lifestyle ways and in their urbanity in regards to their employment.
@@bengreen1719 I agree to some extent. A Bond game in the vain of Hitman would be interesting, but pure stealth isn't necessarily all of what the 007 IP is. Nonetheless, however, the bar is pretty low considering Activision tried to turn it into a COD clone.
@@bengreen1719 from what I see Hitman 1/2 and now 3 it is instant buy 007 project game. It would be great atmospheric game it they copy maybe 70%-80% from hitman. And they are independent :D hell yeah. So creative freedome.
Squenix let IOI go before Hitman 2 because they didn't believe in Hitman financially and wanted to focus its efforts and funding on The Avengers and Tomb Raider. The Avengers was an incredible flop, Tomb Raider was also a letdown. Meanwhile Hitman 2 was very popular and fantastically reviewed, and Hitman 3 recouped its development costs in a week. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
It's crazy how great Hitman 2016 is (and Hitman 2). I never played the earlier games, but I liked Blood Money and disliked Absolution - then Hitman 2016 combined the two in a perfect way!
Watching this now and seeing Eidos/Crystal Dynamics placing their bets on the shambles that is Marvels: Avengers is comical, and I’m so glad that a fantastic Dev team like IOI were able to deliver their vision of the Hitman Trilogy. Excited for more news on 007 🙊
I am still so pleased that such a great studio was able to survive despite all of the issues facing it. Hitman 2 was one of my favourite games from 2018, and I hope they continue the excellent work with any future games they make.
I'm always amazed by the value these documentaries bring, watching these never feel like a waste of time, and the editing is a masterclass of peaceful and interesting content handling. Cheers IO for the future, and long live NoClip.
Fast forward a couple of years and the Avengers game is absolute shit that nobody is playing and Hitman 3 is the biggest commercial success the franchise ever had
Carl 'The Bomb' Johnson I remember being 7 and watching my uncle playing on the PS2 “hitman 2:silent assassin” I would always ask to watch & could sit for hours watching his strategies in passing from A-B, later in life I borrowed absolution for the 360 ( which played better on PS3) afterwards I’d look out for news about hitman, games. Even the films ( only one was good). Now am 17 playing hitman 1 & 2 on the PS4. Basically it was with me throughout my childhood & hopefully adulthood. Keep these games coming!🔪👔🧳💉
Oh shit, 27:00 look at the Hitman info graphics for the level on the main menu. It has all the stats on the destination selection. I hate having to dip in and out of level menus to see what I've done or not. This is so simple with a spider graph and everything. I wish we had this. New menu update incoming?
Good find! Hopefully we'll get that in a monthly update soon. Looks better than the current version, but still eh, kinda useless stats there instead of some useful stuff.
Funny I just read your comment and was looking at that thinking. Is that a developer only- player spec data page... But ur right. That would be awesome to have access to.
I am absolutely obsessed with this game and literally every single time I play and go achievement hunting, I think the exact same thing as you. There are a lot of opportunities and I’m hoping they add this menu!!
Actually I think it might be hitman 3... the color theme is orange unlike the red and the white color theme on 1 and 2... I think we might be onto something here
A new noclip doc is just what I needed! I swear these are going to be watched in a history of game development class someday. These are fascinating and intresting every time.
I just platinumed Blood Money and im playing HITMAN 2 right now in anticipation for this! + we get a new sniper DLC map tomorrow, what a great time to be a HITMAN fan! Might even start my journey to 100% absolution tonight after watching this 😁 thank you sooooo much for doing a doc on these guys. X
I love this game so much. Been playing Hitman since the first game, and when Absolution came out my reaction was essentially exactly what Christian described, I've even outright said to friends _"It's a perfectly decent action game, it's just not a Hitman™ game"_ but they absolutely nailed it with the new game(s). I miss the animation for assembling your rifle from the briefcase but still, it's without question the best Hitman game ever.
Speaking of which Hitman works best as a TV/Netflix show, each episode of Hitman would be about the Targets and internal politics of ICA and less about 47 who acts more like a well Dressed, mild mannered Slasher villain but instead he is a Protagonist.
47 = Ed Skrein "Francis from Deadpool" Dr. Ort Myer = Sir Anthony Hopkins Diana Burnwood = Emilia Clark or Rose Leslie (Denerys or Ygritte) Erich Soders = Ed Harris Lukas Gray "the Shadow Client" = Luke Evans Arthur Edwards "the Constant" = Stephen Dillane "Stannis the mannis" or Iwan Rheon "Ramsey Bolton"
I love how even though I consider myself a huge fan of this channel I am still able to find incredible content I haven't seen yet and then look to see when it was made and see that it's from almost 2 years ago
You have always the best video structure compared to other (game) docs. So many docs just do cinematics for 10 min straight or are talking about uninteresting stuff but this channel is completely different. It's a bit overwhelming to start a 40 min video but after 1 min, you are just into it and time just passes. Great work, best free and high quality game docs on the internet and also a big thanks to all patreons who are supporting this channel. (and the intro is amazing).
Hitman 2016 started off a strong reboot but with little success. Poor marketing confused consumers, Square Enix cut ties & the gaming landscape had seemingly rejected their new Hitman. By 2022 - they've been handed handed the 007 legacy, Hitman: World of Assassination has smashed sales expectations beyond belief & IOI have gone fully independent, raking in the entire profit themselves. They're officially regarded as some of the best in the business & truly the only developer in recent years making the true stealth action experience. Thank you IOI. I'm glad you pulled through. But what cannot be understated is the impact of UA-cam. BigMooney's Hitman video rake in MILLIONS of views despite being hours long. He & the others kept 47 alive during the life support stage. Now 47's walked off into the sunset, hopefully not to be heard from until 2030 or so
I agree but BigMooney's HITMAN video doesn't get MILLIONS of views. And I'm a longtime fan of Big M. He's very good and entertaining UA-camr but the 2 hours and 36 minute long HITMAN video got 304K views.
The fact that they referred to it as "SquExit" really shows their sense of humour about the entire thing lol. Glad to hear most of the people just got jobs quickly and weren't stuck out of work for too long. (And also, good lord I should go work in Denmark based on what they said about getting 4 months of paid leave after being laid off)
Not only that, outside of mass layoffs, there's a "Last in, first out" principle where the veterans should be the last to be sacked outside of exceptional circumstances.
In Spain it´s 20 days x year worked up to 24 months of salary by law, this was a downgrade from 33 days about 5 years ago. The histories heard from the USA are really scary, specially since you have to pay for healthcare too.
If you work for more than a year here in Brazil, you'll get some money back that were taxed off your paychecks, like 5 months worth of money or something.
@@Cross31415 That sounds like a terrible idea. Generally speaking it's the vets who have savings and can afford to go without a paycheck for a few months while the newcomers are neck deep in debt.
Now IO is making a new bond game. I can think of no studio more prepared to make a game about the world's greatest spy. I'm going to pre-order for sure
I'd usually be embarrassed to share any so-called gaming "journalist" vids etc on my personal social media but this is genuine journalistic filmmaking...sharing it on FB etc. as this holds up on it's own, outside the bubble/echo chamber. Great work Danny!
I always wondered why dual wielding pistols never found it's way into new Hitman games. Now I see that it is a miracle the new trilogy was this good, considering the amount of stress were put on development team with all stuff thats happened to the company in recent years.
the market strategy of releasing episodes for free worked so well that i bought hitman 2 then hitman 1 GOTY pack and even after that bought hitman 3 deluxe edition. This game is VERY well made and should be appreciated as one of the future pioneers to the next generation of video games
Tbh I loved absolution. It did feel like hitman to me despite the linear connecting levels. Plus contracts mode showed just how much creativity was actually hidden in some of the smaller stages. That being said, the 2 newest ones are probably the best they've ever done.
This is awesome, I can't believe I've slept on this channel for this long. I've watched several of your docs now, on and off, for a few years now. Your editing and compilation is top class, and watching your director's eye evolving has been such a treat. I'm really happy that you covered IOI, I knew that their time has been tumultuous. I can't wait to see the other parts of this series!
Agreed. I'm playing the game more avidly than ever now. Freelancer is super dope. But I still go back to all the different game modes. As a whole, WoA is one of the best games out there IMO. I've been dipping my toe in some of the other new stuff being released in the last few years, but I've been spoiled by Hitman. I consistently feel like I've wasted my time and money with most new games. But I'll gobble up every new update IOI brings to Hitman for as long as they keep bringing them.
I think they did a really good job with Hitman 2, i wasn't interested in stealth games but the fact that Hitman 2 had some free levels encouraged me to try and i don't regret it, now i have all the DLCs hundreds of hours and almost all achievements
I’m glad that they were upfront on how well the episodic model was. It was a big point of contention among people at the time and i was always curious about it. Awesome documentary.
Amazing story, not just to see how they stood on their own feet, but their entire relation with Square Enix! This piece made me buy Hitman's 2 Season Pass
great documentary looking forward to see more. IO is probably the most ambitious and quality oriented triple A studio these days, the new Hitman series is so self aware, of its own gameplay mechanics of its fans, its crazy ambitious. everything down to the font, and the minimalism is just so hitman, its crazy. probably the most interesting studio of the last decade
I found this docu after viewing your recent video on the future of the channel. I had picked up both Absolution and the start of the trilogy (all ep's except patient zero so far). I got a free copy of Hitman 2 from a friend...he was just like "...you want a copy?" ...Sure (at that point I was like "I'll play it some time in the future"). I only recently (this year) started playing the start of the current trilogy (in the middle of Hitman 2 as I type this). For years it has been on my "gotta play it at some point" list. I love stealth gameplay...so I was sure I would love the game. I was not disappointed with the new trilogy. I'm surprised to hear the nature of the Absolution gameplay...and I see why they revamped it for the new trilogy. They made some excellent decisions with it. Loving Hitman 2 so far...and planning to get 3 plus all the dlc levels for all 3 sometime in the near future. I just can't get enough of it. I've only played the official levels that came with each game so far. I haven't even touched the community created contracts yet...or even the escalations or additional missions for the existing levels (such as the holiday one for Paris). Just so much content to consume. I'm going to be playing this for a while.
I normally wait for good sales pretty patiently, but I was so impressed by Hitman 2016 that i ended up buying the 2018 one asap(after making sure that they were still on point). Even before i could properly play it(and still haven't, waiting to upgrade my hardware)! I wanted to give them some extra kudos instead of being my usual stingy self. The episodic release plan made me sceptical to put it mildly and i still think that games as a service model can be extremely toxic to games, but they ended up handling it extremely well. You've gained mad respect IO, in such a short amount of time. I really hope you can stay on this path.
It did *NOT* disappoint just as expected, what’s more I didn’t realise there is even more to come, I thought they uploaded the entire thing. So once all 4 parts are out I will rewatch it all as one big Documentary. Fantastic & emotional look at IOI’s ups & downs with the Hitman series. Congrats on yet another great documentary I know this has been a passion project for NoClip for sometime.
I love the Hitman series. I own every game except for the most recent game. It's really nice to see how the series has evolved. I do miss hearing the soundtracks made by Jesper Kyd. The Contracts main theme was just so good and atmospheric. And it's also my favourite Hitman game even though it's the shortest one
It's beautiful watching this for the first time post-Hitman 3 and being able to see how this all went on to turn out. Seeing all the levels in one package together and still being supported
Excellent work as always Danny and team. I love the perspective these docs give us into the lives of the people behind the games. Even though im obviously aware that real people exist behind the games, it always hits me more when watching your videos in ways i had never consdiered. Oh and now i want to go buy Hitman!
I just beat the whole story in Hitman 2 and I'm looking forward to the special assignments in Miami and Vermont to complete the whole DLC. This was a great documentary and I've just subscribed and clicked notify for the other videos. I've played every Hitman game from Silent Assassin forward and I'm in love with the series, originally, I just liked running around and killing people for money in random countries on random jobs, but starting with Blood Money and then Absolution. I'm now story driven and I love how all the contracts are a means to an end to 47 discovering his past and with Hitman 2, it also delves into Diana's as well. I really hope Hitman 3 (which I literally just heard about yesterday from someone here who makes walkthroughs) that it's all in with all the levels available at once.
This is the reason the Internet beats TV. A doc about Hitman. Super slickly made, engaging to Hitman fans, not ever going to be made by a TV channel. The production levels are broadcast standard, welcome to 2019! Also, sounds like a fellow Irish man....
Personally I loved Hitman: Absolution. Although it wasn't as open as previous Hitman games, the blend of story, stealth, and action really made it a great game for me. Absolutely amazing video Noclip!
Well done Noclip! I’m a big fan of Hitman since it’s first game Hitman Codename 47 that I played as a teenager. Can’t wait for Hitman 3 in VR. Great to get to know some people behind the game. Good luck to IOI.
This video was phenomenal. Not only did you manage to get insight on one of the best gaming franchises ever created, you even got the top dog to confirm a 3rd title. I need you to go to Capcom and Konami ASAP to learn about Resident Evil, Megaman, (specifically X and Legends) and Metal Gear Solid. Finally, I need you find Amy Henning and learn everything you can about Legacy of Kain. This is your mission. The ICA demands this of you.
The episodic structure hit the nail right on the head with me. I spent the whole month playing that one mission, escalations and contracts just over and over.
Hitman 2016 episodic model was one of the best features of the game. When I got to know that IOI is going for this type of release, I was happy because even the older Hitman games have levels in which you can explore for 2-3 days straight, and with this new Hitman (2016), levels are specifically built for exploration and new routes and ways. By the time you finished the level, (1 month for me ), a new level is ready. As a working professional, it also helped me to manage my time while playing. And financially also, as during that time, I can't purchase the whole game at once, but I can purchase 1 snippet at a time, which is great for me. Really don't understand why people actually hated that model. I purchased H2 and installing each location 2 weeks apart so as to emulate the same experience as H1. Forces me to explore the map, play contracts mode and manage my time by doing so. Hope they do go Episodic for H3.
I really hope IOI succeeds in the future. I'd love to see Hitman continue on and into the next generation. With the CPU improvements and SSD tech they could do amazing things.
I've been a Hitman fan since Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was released for the PS2. I've loved each and every entry, even Absolution has its moments. But these past two games have been something else, pure genius. It's so great to see that IOI are as fun and innovative in this documentary as they are reflected in the Hitman games. Here's to a bright future; a world of assassination.
Love your work here! The IOI team are all so likable and they really smashed it with H2, way bigger and better than expected and even more amazing considering the constraints
Great show here! Hitman was so good that when it was out. I remember being about 16 and my ex girlfriend broke up with me because I played so much, didn't see her enough. Her: It's me or the game. Me: Agent 47.
This has made my day, i have terrible months this summer, with work (my previous job) and just life in general, Noclip is just a nice icing on a nice/descent day for me.
the soundtrack in hitman is totally fallen and never rise, i still remember when they had Jesper Kyd for Hitman 2: Slient Assassin, that was a masterpeice, every tune in that game is impressive
Joshua Graham Except no they don’t. The new composer is extremely talented, already has some extremely memorable tracks, and fits the tone and theme of the new games better than any other. They’ve done an amazing job and should not be fired for nostalgia points.
The comeback story between Hitman Absolution and Hitman 2016 (and then again after "SQEXIT") is an incredible, phenomenal feat. As someone who LOVES the original Splinter Cell titles as well, I considered Absolution to essentially be Hitman's "Splinter Cell: Conviction" and assumed the next title would share a lot of similarities with SC: Blacklist -- namely SUPERFICIAL elements from the old titles brought back without addressing ANY of the underlying structural issues (e.g. Blacklist continues to have linear, segmented, checkpoint based levels & the missions ostensibly designed specifically for the old school fans had a one alarm limit... something the fan favorite Chaos Theory literally mocked). To be fair, considering Absolution was apparently even MORE different, they did a commendable job tweaking things. At the very least, King of Chinatown, Shaving Lenny, Hunter & Hunted, Death Factory, the courthouse, and the penthouse are all relatively decent to good Hitmanesque missions, mostly let down by the mediocre disguise system which ironically makes Easy or Normal feel much more like classic Hitman. And hey, at least you could still move bodies! Hey, Ubisoft, do you think you should be able to hide bodies in a stealth game? Nahhhhh. When I saw the Alpha and release version of Hitman 2016's Paris, my jaw dropped. THAT was Hitman. And even so, I was one of the skeptics. Would EVERY map be as good? As large? As worthwhile? I waited, but like he mentioned, I played the free demo and FEELING the way it played and even the freedom in those small training maps made me realize that they totally got it. I ended up getting the Complete First Season, then upgraded to the GOTY edition, then proceeded to get Hitman 2, then its Expansion Pass, then Hitman 3 -- and then I REBOUGHT Hitman 3 on PC when it was on sale just recently so that way I could use mods and so if/when the servers ever shut down, there's more options to resurrect the game with unofficial servers. I'm glad they switched to a fuller release format and I'm still critical of the "always online" requirement especially now that Absolution's Contracts mode has been officially shut down and ALL those user created contracts have been lost to time since there was no way to save/preserve them OFFline... but the games themselves are remarkable. I never, ever in a million years thought I'd get a game to not only rival, but SURPASS, Blood Money/Contracts/SA overall, especially not after Absolution. But my god, they did it. There may be mechanics I prefer in the older games (i.e. the way fiber wire & sniper case worked in BM), there may be other qualities I preferred like some of the darker & weirder locations from the earlier games (e.g. Meat King's Party or Dance with the Devil) but none of them feature so much and so well done. Story, graphics (duh), gameplay, location, level design... it's one of the few sequels of a long running franchise that preserves the core essence but does everything bigger and/or better overall. Hell, what over stealth series is still making new games? SC's been dead since 2013 -- a DECADE -- and longer still if you don't count Conviction or Blacklist, like I don't; MGS practically died with Kojima leaving & Konami being Konami (fuck Konami) and even now that there's a "new" one coming, it's just a remake of MGS3. Deus Ex is on ice; Thief is on ice; Dishonored is significantly younger than all these other series and even it hasn't had a new release for a hot minute. So, thank you, IOI.
Taking a classic design concept and modernizing it without dumbing it down while at the same time refining it and polishing it to perfection is the peak of gaming for me and games like the Hitman WOA is the quintessential example of this.
This is the first of four videos about the design of Hitman. Make sure to subscribe to get updated when they go live later this week: bit.ly/noclipsubscribe
ghost 001985 Read the title again. Also, noclip would never steal anything--they credit everything they don't record themselves, even random 3 second clips.
Next Tony hawk pro skater🤔
just a tip about future uploads: i love Hitman games, huge fan. But i almost didn't watch this video because of the 3 minute unnecessary extremely slow boring intro. intros should be no longer than 2 minutes, max. just a tip.
Noclip a wise man once said “as always there’s a lot to do in hitman 2”
great work man!
I was part of the 50% who were let go during SQEXIT in 2017, and I vouch for every statement made by my former colleagues in this doc. Everything considered, both IO and SE handled the layoffs gracefully, and gave incredible support to ensure we'd land on our feet. Thank you Noclip for this pristine documentary, it made me feel so proud of the parts I played in getting HITMAN (2016) off the ground.
We thank you for this amazing game, sir!
Thank you for playing a part in reviving this franchise that I love.
Huge respect. It's a thing of beauty and mind-boggling detail.
Shame us people in retail can't get the same respect and support.
Amazing, thanks for sharing this!
this channel is some of the best content on the entire internet
Eh it's Jakey
Dog bless
SNAKEBOY
What's Up Snake Titis from Sankey Montana?
Eyyyy the bouncing ball chair guy
6:21 THAT is Hakan Abrak. Former Producer in the development of the Glacier Engine and Kane & Lynch now CEO & co-owner of IOI...quite the résumé.
"47, HE'S BALD!"
"It seems he has set up an interview regarding his work, to occur later today. Perhaps the interviewer could use a break, 47."
I assume that everybody read that line in Diana's voice. ;-)
Why did I read this in Diana's voice
That would be such a cool elusive target my god.
They dropped IOI to invest in the Avengers game. Ironic.
lololol those lazy ass devs produced a half-baked product. i dont even blame SE, avengers had a 5 year dev cycle and yet they still made game not showing 5 years of effort. its unbelievable
I didn't even know there was an Avenger game, what was it like?
@@kiel_3222 Bad. Like very bad.
Now they are missing on what is potentially the GOTY of 2021.
And now they just drop "Balan Wonderworld". Which it's sucks
It’s really amazing and refreshing to hear that Square was so cool and supportive throughout their breakup
this is why i love Square,
@@ArkaynAdrian Just a heads up as you are probably not aware, but "Jap" is considered a slur to many people.
@@Sankis Like "Nip", yeah. Call them what they ask to be called: Japanese
@@ArkaynAdrian Hence the rather love-hate relationship gamers have with Nintendo.
How is a slur? I can get Nip but it's literally just shortening it instead of typing Japanese every time. That's just ridiculous.
Really cool to finally learn more about IO, and also tonally appropriate as a follow-up to the Telltale documentary. Not shying from the human side of the break from Square Enix, but also the resilience of those who stayed I hope would cause parent companies to stay their hand a bit to let the developer work it out.
True, but it's entirely possible that IO wouldn't be prospering as it is today if Square Enix hadn't left. Sqexit was what lit a fire under IO to turn their venture into something lean and sustainable. Square Enix helping so much to make the layoff procedures go smoothly and humanely probably helped give IO the agility it needed to turn itself around.
God the Telltale doc was so sad and depressing
i saw a parallel to the Telltale documentary as well! but it's very different also in part because of the working marked structures their stories played out in. The people that were laid off from IO seem to have gotten better deals in terms of getting 4 months with pay and gotten a new job faster. A major point in the Telltale documentary was the lack of a security net and the games industry need to unionize. Well in IO, they were to a larger degree unionized as is a tradition here in Denmark.
Yeah
Hitman is one of my favorite game series of all time, have been playing it since the first game. I would love a Blood Money DLC with the new features of the engine, but im also excited to see what Hitman 3 will be like. Great documentary! Cant wait for part 2-4 :)
I love hitman silent assassin
Contracts is my fav Hitman game
Hah been playing it since Codename 47 as well, however at that time I was just a dumb little kid & couldnt get over the first few levels so I was playing missions 1-4 on repeat lol. I remember I didnt speak english at the time so I was just trying millions of ways to fail the mission before somehow I did what was supposed to do :))) . And it didnt even bother me, I liked to just shoot everyone after I blew my cover. The physics were incredible for that time like bullets having impact and you could move bodies that was so cool.
@Eren Jaeger new trailer out rn
Contacts DLC would be both Contracts and Codename 47 at the same time, killing 2 birds with one stone.
Them releasing an episode for free to get people into the game was such a smart decision.
It's basically a modern version of shareware.
Game demos don't really exist much anymore, since making a demo costs a lot more time and effort than you might think, but for Hitman they can "just" say that such-and-such level is free, and that's the "demo". Brilliant.
Indeed. That was the selling point for me as well. I remember doing the tutorial missions, being like "...okay?" and then that Paris level came, I was tailing the target through the hall with models promenading, techno music blasting... I alt+tabbed immediately and bought the game. Didn't regret it for 1 second.
@@KostejNesmrtelny I did the same. I love the series and is getting ongoing support.
They basically give you a hollow game when you buy though
@@Dr-Shite-Kicker I agree. They should put some effort and consolidate all of these. It's a mess as is.
The problem is that episodic and demo like approach turned many people off
huge respect for not having any ads. Hope i can one day support noclip more directly
I suppose $23k a month helps them say no to UA-cam ads.
As an avid Hitman fan and player since Codename 47, I found this documentary fascinating and beautifully compiled, with compassion. I look forward to the next part.
Hitman 2016 and Hitman 2 are among the greatest games of this generation.
Even just Sapienza on it's own is a perfect distillation of what makes the series so compelling (and other games in the immersive sim lineage)
@@ixd-bxi I disagree. These new games have fully realized the promise of hitmans concept.
@@ixd-bxi From the sound of that immature insult, it seems like you're projecting. I'm 30, by the way. Try harder next time.
@@ixd-bxi Compelling argument!
You're getting a bit redundant now.
What a fantastic documentary. I have been watching IOI's highs and lows for years, always full of hope that they will be able to get back up.
This documentary goes in depth as to what was happening during Absolution's and 2016's development, and the aftermath that I didn't know about.
Noclip I love you
I'm happy to have spent those 60 bucks to take the complete series and have the patience to wait for every chapter. I was genuinely happy when finally a new mission was on, especially Sapienza. Has an Italian guy, I was amazed by the level of details these guys put to characterize the place, which is taken mostly from Amalfi, a very beautiful and unique place in southern Italy. I love this series since I was a little kid (which is not a good thing to say since is a game mostly for adults, but game stores never cared much for the age of costumers then) and I love the passion they put in to improve every aspect of it, even if it means making mistakes. Looking forward to chapter 3 of this beautiful masterpiece, the preorder is assured! Thanks, Noclip for this wonderful interview, I was really looking for something like this in a long time.
i hated we had to pay full price for 1/5th of a game and then wait a year for the rest
Rainbow Dash You didn’t.
Well technically Sapienza is a mix of italian coastal towns like Amalfi (which I visited a week ago, very nice) and Vernazza in the Cinque Terre (also very beautiful). Vernazza is obviously the greatest inspiration, since both the fictional and real towns have a similar church, castle and streets
My gosh. All the news sites are writing about "Hitman 3" and "secret new IP from IO Interactive".
Thanks for the video. Looking forward to the next 3 !
It looks awesome ngl
007
it came out
37:08 He's talking about project 007
I actually think it’ll be exciting to see a bond game in the hitman style. The character’s are very similar in their jet setting lifestyle ways and in their urbanity in regards to their employment.
@@bengreen1719
I agree to some extent. A Bond game in the vain of Hitman would be interesting, but pure stealth isn't necessarily all of what the 007 IP is.
Nonetheless, however, the bar is pretty low considering Activision tried to turn it into a COD clone.
@@q-tip4723 {
The Bond I know almost always go loud and leaves behind a trail of explosions in his wake, with a beautiful dame in tow
@@bengreen1719 from what I see Hitman 1/2 and now 3 it is instant buy 007 project game. It would be great atmospheric game it they copy maybe 70%-80% from hitman. And they are independent :D hell yeah. So creative freedome.
Squenix let IOI go before Hitman 2 because they didn't believe in Hitman financially and wanted to focus its efforts and funding on The Avengers and Tomb Raider.
The Avengers was an incredible flop, Tomb Raider was also a letdown.
Meanwhile Hitman 2 was very popular and fantastically reviewed, and Hitman 3 recouped its development costs in a week.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
My favourite revival getting the love. Hope IO keeps it up.
It's crazy how great Hitman 2016 is (and Hitman 2). I never played the earlier games, but I liked Blood Money and disliked Absolution - then Hitman 2016 combined the two in a perfect way!
Watching this now and seeing Eidos/Crystal Dynamics placing their bets on the shambles that is Marvels: Avengers is comical, and I’m so glad that a fantastic Dev team like IOI were able to deliver their vision of the Hitman Trilogy. Excited for more news on 007 🙊
I am still so pleased that such a great studio was able to survive despite all of the issues facing it. Hitman 2 was one of my favourite games from 2018, and I hope they continue the excellent work with any future games they make.
I'm always amazed by the value these documentaries bring, watching these never feel like a waste of time, and the editing is a masterclass of peaceful and interesting content handling.
Cheers IO for the future, and long live NoClip.
@@omarsheriff51 as every job should look like... it's Hitman after all ;)
The intro was beautiful.
so wierd to see actual journalism in this space, thanks dan!
This has made me want to support the game and company so much, thanks noclip!
Fast forward a couple of years and the Avengers game is absolute shit that nobody is playing and Hitman 3 is the biggest commercial success the franchise ever had
Well done Danny. These deep dives are just what the industry needs.
Carl 'The Bomb' Johnson
I remember being 7 and watching my uncle playing on the PS2 “hitman 2:silent assassin” I would always ask to watch & could sit for hours watching his strategies in passing from A-B,
later in life I borrowed absolution for the 360 ( which played better on PS3) afterwards I’d look out for news about hitman, games. Even the films ( only one was good).
Now am 17 playing hitman 1 & 2 on the PS4. Basically it was with me throughout my childhood & hopefully adulthood. Keep these games coming!🔪👔🧳💉
This is probably my favorite doc on this channel! I got chills during the intro. Well done! Looking forward to the rest :)
I play this game almost every week , I had to tab out to make sure it wasn't on 😂
35:05 It's cool to see that this quote from a video 3 years ago has actually come to fruition now!
Oh shit, 27:00 look at the Hitman info graphics for the level on the main menu. It has all the stats on the destination selection. I hate having to dip in and out of level menus to see what I've done or not. This is so simple with a spider graph and everything. I wish we had this. New menu update incoming?
Good find! Hopefully we'll get that in a monthly update soon. Looks better than the current version, but still eh, kinda useless stats there instead of some useful stuff.
Funny I just read your comment and was looking at that thinking. Is that a developer only- player spec data page... But ur right. That would be awesome to have access to.
I am absolutely obsessed with this game and literally every single time I play and go achievement hunting, I think the exact same thing as you. There are a lot of opportunities and I’m hoping they add this menu!!
Actually I think it might be hitman 3... the color theme is orange unlike the red and the white color theme on 1 and 2... I think we might be onto something here
@@yellowbat79 I hope they include all the other levels from 1 and 2 in it.
A new noclip doc is just what I needed! I swear these are going to be watched in a history of game development class someday. These are fascinating and intresting every time.
I just platinumed Blood Money and im playing HITMAN 2 right now in anticipation for this! + we get a new sniper DLC map tomorrow, what a great time to be a HITMAN fan! Might even start my journey to 100% absolution tonight after watching this 😁 thank you sooooo much for doing a doc on these guys. X
I love this game so much. Been playing Hitman since the first game, and when Absolution came out my reaction was essentially exactly what Christian described, I've even outright said to friends _"It's a perfectly decent action game, it's just not a Hitman™ game"_ but they absolutely nailed it with the new game(s). I miss the animation for assembling your rifle from the briefcase but still, it's without question the best Hitman game ever.
did you include “tm” after saying “hitman” to your friends? 🤡
Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO games is basically a thicc 47...
He should be 47 on the next movie
@@randyrrs7028 He should be David Bateson's stunt double in the next movie.
Speaking of which Hitman works best as a TV/Netflix show, each episode of Hitman would be about the Targets and internal politics of ICA and less about 47 who acts more like a well Dressed, mild mannered Slasher villain but instead he is a Protagonist.
47 = Ed Skrein "Francis from Deadpool"
Dr. Ort Myer = Sir Anthony Hopkins
Diana Burnwood = Emilia Clark or Rose Leslie (Denerys or Ygritte)
Erich Soders = Ed Harris
Lukas Gray "the Shadow Client" = Luke Evans
Arthur Edwards "the Constant" = Stephen Dillane "Stannis the mannis" or Iwan Rheon "Ramsey Bolton"
I love how even though I consider myself a huge fan of this channel I am still able to find incredible content I haven't seen yet and then look to see when it was made and see that it's from almost 2 years ago
You have always the best video structure compared to other (game) docs. So many docs just do cinematics for 10 min straight or are talking about uninteresting stuff but this channel is completely different. It's a bit overwhelming to start a 40 min video but after 1 min, you are just into it and time just passes. Great work, best free and high quality game docs on the internet and also a big thanks to all patreons who are supporting this channel. (and the intro is amazing).
IO owns Freedom Fighters?! :OOOOOO Please release it digitally asap!!!
no no no ... remaster or remake it!!!
Lots of freedom fighters arcade machines can be found in hitman levels as an Easter egg. It's s nice touch.
Gold edition has a freedom fighters suit
Good news: www.gog.com/game/freedom_fighters
Hitman 2016 started off a strong reboot but with little success. Poor marketing confused consumers, Square Enix cut ties & the gaming landscape had seemingly rejected their new Hitman.
By 2022 - they've been handed handed the 007 legacy, Hitman: World of Assassination has smashed sales expectations beyond belief & IOI have gone fully independent, raking in the entire profit themselves. They're officially regarded as some of the best in the business & truly the only developer in recent years making the true stealth action experience.
Thank you IOI. I'm glad you pulled through.
But what cannot be understated is the impact of UA-cam. BigMooney's Hitman video rake in MILLIONS of views despite being hours long. He & the others kept 47 alive during the life support stage. Now 47's walked off into the sunset, hopefully not to be heard from until 2030 or so
I agree but BigMooney's HITMAN video doesn't get MILLIONS of views. And I'm a longtime fan of Big M. He's very good and entertaining UA-camr but the 2 hours and 36 minute long HITMAN video got 304K views.
@@tmas47
His videos from 5 or so years ago comfortably sit at around 2 Million views. You're just wrong.
IO came through in the end and today Hitman world of assassination is by far my favourite game.
The fact that they referred to it as "SquExit" really shows their sense of humour about the entire thing lol. Glad to hear most of the people just got jobs quickly and weren't stuck out of work for too long. (And also, good lord I should go work in Denmark based on what they said about getting 4 months of paid leave after being laid off)
Not only that, outside of mass layoffs, there's a "Last in, first out" principle where the veterans should be the last to be sacked outside of exceptional circumstances.
That's pretty standard in most northern/western EU countries
In Spain it´s 20 days x year worked up to 24 months of salary by law, this was a downgrade from 33 days about 5 years ago. The histories heard from the USA are really scary, specially since you have to pay for healthcare too.
If you work for more than a year here in Brazil, you'll get some money back that were taxed off your paychecks, like 5 months worth of money or something.
@@Cross31415 That sounds like a terrible idea. Generally speaking it's the vets who have savings and can afford to go without a paycheck for a few months while the newcomers are neck deep in debt.
Now IO is making a new bond game. I can think of no studio more prepared to make a game about the world's greatest spy. I'm going to pre-order for sure
I'd usually be embarrassed to share any so-called gaming "journalist" vids etc on my personal social media but this is genuine journalistic filmmaking...sharing it on FB etc. as this holds up on it's own, outside the bubble/echo chamber.
Great work Danny!
Wow, GoOd fOr yOU
So glad to hear they were able to turn things around. Have been playing IO interactive's games since the very first Hitman.
I always wondered why dual wielding pistols never found it's way into new Hitman games. Now I see that it is a miracle the new trilogy was this good, considering the amount of stress were put on development team with all stuff thats happened to the company in recent years.
I keep coming back to this documentary, for some reason it motivates me to aim higher in life.
I'm one of those folks that bought Hitman 2 after playing the demo. Still exploring.
the market strategy of releasing episodes for free worked so well that i bought hitman 2 then hitman 1 GOTY pack and even after that bought hitman 3 deluxe edition. This game is VERY well made and should be appreciated as one of the future pioneers to the next generation of video games
Tbh I loved absolution. It did feel like hitman to me despite the linear connecting levels. Plus contracts mode showed just how much creativity was actually hidden in some of the smaller stages.
That being said, the 2 newest ones are probably the best they've ever done.
This is awesome, I can't believe I've slept on this channel for this long. I've watched several of your docs now, on and off, for a few years now. Your editing and compilation is top class, and watching your director's eye evolving has been such a treat. I'm really happy that you covered IOI, I knew that their time has been tumultuous. I can't wait to see the other parts of this series!
What they have done with this game as of 2023 deserves an update video to this. What the game as a package is now is so amazing.
Agreed. I'm playing the game more avidly than ever now. Freelancer is super dope. But I still go back to all the different game modes.
As a whole, WoA is one of the best games out there IMO. I've been dipping my toe in some of the other new stuff being released in the last few years, but I've been spoiled by Hitman. I consistently feel like I've wasted my time and money with most new games.
But I'll gobble up every new update IOI brings to Hitman for as long as they keep bringing them.
I think they did a really good job with Hitman 2, i wasn't interested in stealth games but the fact that Hitman 2 had some free levels encouraged me to try and i don't regret it, now i have all the DLCs hundreds of hours and almost all achievements
I’m glad that they were upfront on how well the episodic model was. It was a big point of contention among people at the time and i was always curious about it.
Awesome documentary.
This was fantastic! Can't wait for the next parts.
Ok
Ok
Ok
So much thought and care and heart goes into every Assassination. It’s incredibly touching.
Amazing story, not just to see how they stood on their own feet, but their entire relation with Square Enix! This piece made me buy Hitman's 2 Season Pass
great documentary looking forward to see more. IO is probably the most ambitious and quality oriented triple A studio these days, the new Hitman series is so self aware, of its own gameplay mechanics of its fans, its crazy ambitious. everything down to the font, and the minimalism is just so hitman, its crazy. probably the most interesting studio of the last decade
I thought this was GVMERS for a second, Noclip and GVMERS are equal to my heart
@@dinerenblancc I'm actually talking about the title.
I found this docu after viewing your recent video on the future of the channel.
I had picked up both Absolution and the start of the trilogy (all ep's except patient zero so far). I got a free copy of Hitman 2 from a friend...he was just like "...you want a copy?" ...Sure (at that point I was like "I'll play it some time in the future"). I only recently (this year) started playing the start of the current trilogy (in the middle of Hitman 2 as I type this). For years it has been on my "gotta play it at some point" list. I love stealth gameplay...so I was sure I would love the game.
I was not disappointed with the new trilogy.
I'm surprised to hear the nature of the Absolution gameplay...and I see why they revamped it for the new trilogy. They made some excellent decisions with it.
Loving Hitman 2 so far...and planning to get 3 plus all the dlc levels for all 3 sometime in the near future. I just can't get enough of it. I've only played the official levels that came with each game so far. I haven't even touched the community created contracts yet...or even the escalations or additional missions for the existing levels (such as the holiday one for Paris). Just so much content to consume. I'm going to be playing this for a while.
Absolutely beautiful documentary. Couldn't stop watching!
I hope IO pull out a new Freedom Fighters soon too!
This is a real feel good story in the end. Kudos to the fine people of IOI for bringing their dream to reality.
I normally wait for good sales pretty patiently, but I was so impressed by Hitman 2016 that i ended up buying the 2018 one asap(after making sure that they were still on point). Even before i could properly play it(and still haven't, waiting to upgrade my hardware)! I wanted to give them some extra kudos instead of being my usual stingy self. The episodic release plan made me sceptical to put it mildly and i still think that games as a service model can be extremely toxic to games, but they ended up handling it extremely well.
You've gained mad respect IO, in such a short amount of time. I really hope you can stay on this path.
It did *NOT* disappoint just as expected, what’s more I didn’t realise there is even more to come, I thought they uploaded the entire thing. So once all 4 parts are out I will rewatch it all as one big Documentary. Fantastic & emotional look at IOI’s ups & downs with the Hitman series. Congrats on yet another great documentary I know this has been a passion project for NoClip for sometime.
06:22 it's agent 47 😲
32:20 hahahah I'm so happy that happened.
this documenatry made me realize how important of a studio IO is. I'm glad!
None of the Hitman games ever clicked with me as I find them to be extremely boring, however, I love looking behind the scenes! Thank you Danny.
I love the Hitman series. I own every game except for the most recent game. It's really nice to see how the series has evolved. I do miss hearing the soundtracks made by Jesper Kyd. The Contracts main theme was just so good and atmospheric. And it's also my favourite Hitman game even though it's the shortest one
Contracts is my favorite also. Jesper Kyd is very sorely missed for me, but the last two efforts are slowly and steadily rising in quality.
@@connarish I completely agree with you. Can't wait to see how the next game is going to be
It's beautiful watching this for the first time post-Hitman 3 and being able to see how this all went on to turn out. Seeing all the levels in one package together and still being supported
Excellent work as always Danny and team. I love the perspective these docs give us into the lives of the people behind the games. Even though im obviously aware that real people exist behind the games, it always hits me more when watching your videos in ways i had never consdiered.
Oh and now i want to go buy Hitman!
I just beat the whole story in Hitman 2 and I'm looking forward to the special assignments in Miami and Vermont to complete the whole DLC. This was a great documentary and I've just subscribed and clicked notify for the other videos. I've played every Hitman game from Silent Assassin forward and I'm in love with the series, originally, I just liked running around and killing people for money in random countries on random jobs, but starting with Blood Money and then Absolution.
I'm now story driven and I love how all the contracts are a means to an end to 47 discovering his past and with Hitman 2, it also delves into Diana's as well. I really hope Hitman 3 (which I literally just heard about yesterday from someone here who makes walkthroughs) that it's all in with all the levels available at once.
Brilliant, brilliant piece of journalism. Thank you and keep up the good work. Brilliant!
This is the reason the Internet beats TV. A doc about Hitman. Super slickly made, engaging to Hitman fans, not ever going to be made by a TV channel. The production levels are broadcast standard, welcome to 2019! Also, sounds like a fellow Irish man....
And now we know IO is making 007 game. Fantastic, can't wait!
The free episodes worked wonders, the Paris level got me into the series
Personally I loved Hitman: Absolution. Although it wasn't as open as previous Hitman games, the blend of story, stealth, and action really made it a great game for me. Absolutely amazing video Noclip!
Well done Noclip! I’m a big fan of Hitman since it’s first game Hitman Codename 47 that I played as a teenager. Can’t wait for Hitman 3 in VR. Great to get to know some people behind the game. Good luck to IOI.
Freedom Fighters sequel or spiritual successor
*PLEASE*
This video was phenomenal. Not only did you manage to get insight on one of the best gaming franchises ever created, you even got the top dog to confirm a 3rd title. I need you to go to Capcom and Konami ASAP to learn about Resident Evil, Megaman, (specifically X and Legends) and Metal Gear Solid. Finally, I need you find Amy Henning and learn everything you can about Legacy of Kain. This is your mission. The ICA demands this of you.
I would like a documentary about how a regular human being can have the name
Forest Swartout Large
It's always great to hear about developers who are clearly passionate about what they're doing. Fantastic video dude.
Dude... please make another Freedom Fighters! :D
Dude I've been saying that for at least 10 years now! I don't think we'll ever see it but I really really hope I'm wrong.
The episodic structure hit the nail right on the head with me. I spent the whole month playing that one mission, escalations and contracts just over and over.
Hitman 2016 episodic model was one of the best features of the game.
When I got to know that IOI is going for this type of release, I was happy because even the older Hitman games have levels in which you can explore for 2-3 days straight, and with this new Hitman (2016), levels are specifically built for exploration and new routes and ways.
By the time you finished the level, (1 month for me ), a new level is ready.
As a working professional, it also helped me to manage my time while playing. And financially also, as during that time, I can't purchase the whole game at once, but I can purchase 1 snippet at a time, which is great for me.
Really don't understand why people actually hated that model.
I purchased H2 and installing each location 2 weeks apart so as to emulate the same experience as H1.
Forces me to explore the map, play contracts mode and manage my time by doing so.
Hope they do go Episodic for H3.
The best opening to a noclip doc by far. I'll have to rewatch that.
I really hope IOI succeeds in the future. I'd love to see Hitman continue on and into the next generation. With the CPU improvements and SSD tech they could do amazing things.
Just playing trough Hitman 2 right now and i am happy to see you doing a documentary on this classic series.
Not the stealth game we deserved but the one we needed. Agent 47 rises.
I've been a Hitman fan since Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was released for the PS2. I've loved each and every entry, even Absolution has its moments. But these past two games have been something else, pure genius. It's so great to see that IOI are as fun and innovative in this documentary as they are reflected in the Hitman games. Here's to a bright future; a world of assassination.
Love your work here! The IOI team are all so likable and they really smashed it with H2, way bigger and better than expected and even more amazing considering the constraints
0:21 The lights blinking along with the music. So satisfying.
Great show here! Hitman was so good that when it was out. I remember being about 16 and my ex girlfriend broke up with me because I played so much, didn't see her enough.
Her: It's me or the game.
Me: Agent 47.
Hitman is a unique game, as newcomer to the series I love it, so thanks very much for this very interesting, well made doc.
One of my top 5 UA-cam channels making documentaries on my favourite game series since I was about 7? Yes please and thank you x
Watching how awesome and hard-working these guys are, makes me so excited for the new 007 game they're making
This has made my day, i have terrible months this summer, with work (my previous job) and just life in general, Noclip is just a nice icing on a nice/descent day for me.
Saaaaammeee
So happy I got to each this today.... Really needed something to watch
Your intro is better than anything Hollywood tried to spew on screen for a Hitman movie. Well done!
absolutely amazing how they turned hitman 2 around after losing that much staff
The enforcer circle above the guy's head at about 2:10 was a very nice touch.
the soundtrack in hitman is totally fallen and never rise, i still remember when they had Jesper Kyd for Hitman 2: Slient Assassin, that was a masterpeice, every tune in that game is impressive
@@omarsheriff51 Point is, they need to bring back Jesper Kydd
Joshua Graham Except no they don’t. The new composer is extremely talented, already has some extremely memorable tracks, and fits the tone and theme of the new games better than any other.
They’ve done an amazing job and should not be fired for nostalgia points.
The comeback story between Hitman Absolution and Hitman 2016 (and then again after "SQEXIT") is an incredible, phenomenal feat. As someone who LOVES the original Splinter Cell titles as well, I considered Absolution to essentially be Hitman's "Splinter Cell: Conviction" and assumed the next title would share a lot of similarities with SC: Blacklist -- namely SUPERFICIAL elements from the old titles brought back without addressing ANY of the underlying structural issues (e.g. Blacklist continues to have linear, segmented, checkpoint based levels & the missions ostensibly designed specifically for the old school fans had a one alarm limit... something the fan favorite Chaos Theory literally mocked).
To be fair, considering Absolution was apparently even MORE different, they did a commendable job tweaking things. At the very least, King of Chinatown, Shaving Lenny, Hunter & Hunted, Death Factory, the courthouse, and the penthouse are all relatively decent to good Hitmanesque missions, mostly let down by the mediocre disguise system which ironically makes Easy or Normal feel much more like classic Hitman. And hey, at least you could still move bodies! Hey, Ubisoft, do you think you should be able to hide bodies in a stealth game? Nahhhhh.
When I saw the Alpha and release version of Hitman 2016's Paris, my jaw dropped. THAT was Hitman. And even so, I was one of the skeptics. Would EVERY map be as good? As large? As worthwhile? I waited, but like he mentioned, I played the free demo and FEELING the way it played and even the freedom in those small training maps made me realize that they totally got it. I ended up getting the Complete First Season, then upgraded to the GOTY edition, then proceeded to get Hitman 2, then its Expansion Pass, then Hitman 3 -- and then I REBOUGHT Hitman 3 on PC when it was on sale just recently so that way I could use mods and so if/when the servers ever shut down, there's more options to resurrect the game with unofficial servers. I'm glad they switched to a fuller release format and I'm still critical of the "always online" requirement especially now that Absolution's Contracts mode has been officially shut down and ALL those user created contracts have been lost to time since there was no way to save/preserve them OFFline... but the games themselves are remarkable.
I never, ever in a million years thought I'd get a game to not only rival, but SURPASS, Blood Money/Contracts/SA overall, especially not after Absolution. But my god, they did it. There may be mechanics I prefer in the older games (i.e. the way fiber wire & sniper case worked in BM), there may be other qualities I preferred like some of the darker & weirder locations from the earlier games (e.g. Meat King's Party or Dance with the Devil) but none of them feature so much and so well done. Story, graphics (duh), gameplay, location, level design... it's one of the few sequels of a long running franchise that preserves the core essence but does everything bigger and/or better overall. Hell, what over stealth series is still making new games? SC's been dead since 2013 -- a DECADE -- and longer still if you don't count Conviction or Blacklist, like I don't; MGS practically died with Kojima leaving & Konami being Konami (fuck Konami) and even now that there's a "new" one coming, it's just a remake of MGS3. Deus Ex is on ice; Thief is on ice; Dishonored is significantly younger than all these other series and even it hasn't had a new release for a hot minute.
So, thank you, IOI.
37:15 James Bond was already in development then!
Taking a classic design concept and modernizing it without dumbing it down while at the same time refining it and polishing it to perfection is the peak of gaming for me and games like the Hitman WOA is the quintessential example of this.