E3 2018: WB Games reveals Hitman 2

In a week of leaky boats ahead of E3 2018, one of the leakiest has been WB Games’ Hitman 2 reveal. Now we have a trailer and a first look at gameplay, all ahead of the biggest week in games.

A direct sequel to 2016’s Hitman, the game will pick up where the last game left off in terms of story and gameplay. Where the previous title in the series was episodic in nature, Hitman 2 will return to a more traditional model with the complete game included in a single package.

Sniping returns to the series in a big way, having been largely absent from the previous game due to the way levels were being constructed. While I’m sure many fans will be happy to see sniping return, its absence in Hitman forced you to think more creatively, and often meant getting up close and personal with your target. I’m interested to see how Io will blend it back into that game loop.

Another big new mode is the inclusion of a co-operative multiplayer. This is great news for those players who favour more complex planning and an extra pair of hands will allow for some truly coordinated creativity. Better yet, this co-operative mode, Sniper Assassin, is available to play right now, today, if you pre-order Hitman 2.

The countdown to the game’s unveiling began earlier in the week before impatient fans dug into the countdown website’s code, discovering Hitman 2 assets ready for deployment.

Hitman 2 also marks Io Interactive’s first title since being cut loose from their former home at Square-Enix. Io negotiated hard to hold onto Hitman which has long been the studio’s baby, though with the end of their partnership it looked for a moment like both Io and the Hitman franchise may have come to an end. It’s good to see WB Games come to the rescue.

Hitman 2 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC on November 13, 2018.

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David Smith

David Smith is the former games and technology editor at The AU Review. He has previously written for PC World Australia. You can find him on Twitter at @RhunWords.