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Square Enix announces mobile strategy game Hitman Go
The Hitman series will see its first entry on tablets and smartphones in Hitman Go, Square Enix Montreal announced today. The turn-based strategy game will have players navigating "fixed spaces on a grid" while using familiar tools from the stealth series, such as sniper rifles, Agent 47's Silverballers, disguises and distractions. Though it's not clear if the image accompanying the announcement is just concept art, the developer said Hitman Go will use "beautifully rendered diorama-style set pieces." While Square Enix Montreal did not hand out a release date or price for the game, it did note that Hitman Go is "almost ready for launch." Additionally, the developer is currently working on "something else" in addition to the mobile game, which seemingly "fits perfectly within the Hitman fantasy." [Image: Square Enix Montreal]
Zachary Quinto signs on for Hitman movie reboot 'Agent 47'
Zachary Quinto has been cast in Fox's upcoming Hitman movie reboot, Agent 47. The report, which comes from Deadline Hollywood, does not mention the role Quinto will play. Zachary Quinto is best known as Spock in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot and its sequel, Star Trek: Into Darkness. Quinto previously played Sylar on NBC's Heroes and is currently in The Glass Menagerie on Broadway. Agent 47, the follow-up to the 2007 Hitman film starring Timothy Olyphant, was originally set to star Fast & Furious star Paul Walker before the actor passed away in a car crash last November. Earlier this month, news that Homeland's Rupert Friend was set to replace Walker proved the project would carry on despite Walker's death. The film will be directed by Aleksander Bach, based on a script from Skip Woods and Michael Finch.
Hitman: Contracts emerges from the shadows, stalks Steam
Hitman: Contracts, the third entry in IO Interactive's stealth murder series, is finally available for individual purchase on Steam. Previously the game was only available as part of the Hitman HD Trilogy, which bundled Hitman 2, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money into one convenient wannabe-murderer's package. A music licensing issue surrounding a track in the "Rendezvous in Rotterdam" mission prevented Hitman: Contracts from being re-released as a standalone game on Steam. The Hitman HD Trilogy was able to sneakily sidestep this issue by replacing the song altogether; however, Steam users are currently reporting Hitman: Contracts has had its entire soundtrack and voice over tracks removed in the Steam version, so we've reached out to Square Enix for comment. Hitman: Contracts, compatible with Windows PC, will set chrome dome assassins back $7 on Steam.
IO says next Hitman will go back to the sandbox
IO Interactive wrote an open letter to Hitman fans this morning, detailing the direction for the Agent 47 game the studio is working on. Doing everything next to apologize for Hitman: Absolution, the studio said the next game will go back to Agent 47 at the "prime of his career" (in gameplay terms that should mean Blood Money), with the support of his handler Diana Burnwood and the shadow organization she works for. "We've adopted an open, non-linear level design approach to the game, ensuring the game will play out across huge, checkpoint-free, sandbox levels," the IO letter notes. "Our aim is to create living, breathing and believable levels which will allow gamers to play around with the AI to create those unique moments every fan of the Hitman franchise loves." Absolution's clever Contracts Mode will return, which allowed players to challenge friends to different level scenarios, but Agent 47's Mary Poppins-like bottomless "magic pockets" featuring an entire arsenal won't. The studio plans to share more "further into 2014."
Homeland's Rupert Friend replaces Paul Walker as Agent 47
Rupert Friend will play smooth-top assassin Agent 47 in the second Hitman movie, Variety reports. Paul Walker, who passed away in a car crash on November 30, was first chosen to replace Timothy Olyphant in Agent 47. Rupert Friend is best known for his work as Peter Quinn on the Showtime series Homeland. Friend also played Mr. Wickham in 2005's Pride & Prejudice and Prince Albert in The Young Victoria. The original Hitman film grossed nearly $100 million worldwide despite being panned by critics. Aleksander Bach, who has mostly done commercial work up until now, will direct the sequel based on a script by Skip Woods and Michael Finch.
Report: Square Enix Montreal's next-gen Hitman canceled, mobile game in development [update]
The major Hitman game under production at Square Enix Montreal has been canceled, according to a senior game designer's LinkedIn profile. The game was originally announced with the studio's founding in 2012. VideoGamer also notes another employee's LinkedIn profile, which claims the studio is currently working on a Hitman game for iOS and Android. Don't fear, Agent 47 acolytes. Last we heard there was a second Hitman game in production at series founder IO Interactive. Today's word seems to be more of clean-up job and public acknowledgement of the shake-up that occurred last year under the Square Enix umbrella. At the time, several projects were canceled and a new reporting structure was executed. Update: Polygon received the following statement from a Square Enix representative: "Io-Interactive is developing a new, AAA Hitman game that will be coming to PC and next-gen consoles and Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on mobile development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise. We look forward to sharing more details about these titles later this year."
Amazon's Square Enix bundle has four games for $15
Amazon has put a hit out on most of Square Enix's recent, notable catalog, and it can all be yours via Steam keys for $15. The digital bundle includes Hitman: Absolution Professional Edition, Sleeping Dogs, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Just Cause 2 and its Aerial Pack DLC. The offer is good until September 16 and offers a few cheap open-world games, in case you don't think the incoming Grand Theft Auto 5 is your sort of thing.
Report: IO Interactive cancels projects, loses half of staff to layoffs
Hitman series developer IO Interactive has cut its staff by almost 50 percent after a recent round of layoffs, the studio announced in a statement released to Develop. Speaking to Develop, a spokesperson for IO Interactive confirmed that the company has canceled many of its current projects in order to focus its efforts on a new Hitman game, which is currently in pre-production. Previously, the Square Enix-owned studio had developed games such as Mini Ninjas and Kane & Lynch. Its most recent release, Hitman: Absolution, launched last year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms. "We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market," the statement reads. "Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO. The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new triple-A Hitman project. "However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today's market." "For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it's possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers."
Hitman movie rebooted with 'Fast and Furious' Paul Walker
Paul Walker will play Agent 47 – replacing Timothy Olyphant – in an upcoming Hitman movie. While we all desperately try to understand who makes these casting decisions, Deadline reports the movie's title is Agent 47 and will be written by the folks behind A Good Day To Die Hard. First-time feature film director Aleksander Back will helm the project.The Hitman movie starring Olyphant from 2007 grossed $100 million worldwide despite its imperfect execution. The new film will begin filming in Berlin and Singapore this summer after Walker wraps promotion for Fast And Furious 6.
New Hitman HD Trilogy screens are a familiar face
These screens for Hitman HD Trilogy, Square Enix's hi-def collection that includes Hitman: Contracts, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Hitman: Blood Money, show off each game's improved look. The collection will launch January 29 in North America and February 1 in Europe on PS3 and Xbox 360 for $39.99.
Sleeping Dogs DLC dresses you up in Square Enix costumes
Forgive us for the least cute post you'll see today with "dress up" and "dogs" in the headline. Instead of corgis in costumes, the topic of conversation is Sleeping Dogs, which offers some crossover costume DLC today, including a vaguely unsettling bald cap.The cap is attached to the Hitman suit in the "Square Enix Character Pack" launching today, which also includes a Deus Ex-inspired outfit and a Rico Rodriguez getup from Just Cause. It'll be available tomorrow on Xbox Live and Steam worldwide, and PSN in Europe, for two bucks or its local equivalent. North American PSN users will have to wait until November 20 to make their game look like other games.Check out the Deus Ex outfit above; you can see a vignette with the Hitman outfit after the break.
Hitman: Absolution video describes a 'living, breathing world'
This video for Hitman: Absolution describes the game's universe and the stories contained within as a "living, breathing world." The IO Interactive game is set to launch November 20 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
AMD Never Settle bundle gives Radeon HD 7000 buyers free games they'd actually care to play
Just about anyone who has bought more than one aftermarket graphics card knows that bundled games rarely matter. They're usually year-old titles or neutered editions built only to showcase the GPU's performance for a few hours. AMD thinks its Never Settle bundle might finally get us to notice. Buy any modern Radeon HD video card from the 7770 GHz Edition on up and you'll get a download code for at least one new game you'd genuinely want to try, ranging from Far Cry 3 on basic cards to a full three-game deal that supplies Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution and Sleeping Dogs to high rollers buying the 7900 series. There's likewise a discount for Medal of Honor: Warfighter and promises of bundles in 2013 for Bioshock Infinite and the reimagined Tomb Raider. As long as you're not dead set on springing for a GeForce board in the next few months, one of the qualifying cards might be worth a look to jumpstart your game collection.
Killer deal on Hitman Collection on Steam
You can methodically, quietly, take out your aggression on some virtual targets for cheap today. The Hitman Collection, containing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Blood Money, and Codename 47, is on sale for $6.24 today on Steam. If you want just one Hitman, each game is on sale for $2.49. You don't even have to watch a bunch of ads!
Hitman Absolution to see David Bateson reprise role as 47
David Bateson will reprise the role of Agent 47 in Hitman Absolution, after it was revealed last year that IO Interactive dropped the long-serving voice actor. Square Enix confirmed the news yesterday, shortly after the above video of Bateson announcing his return found its way online. The video was on a USB key given to a fan by IO Interactive community manager Nick Price.Bateson's return was a struggle, with IO Interactive initially asking him to audition for a role he'd served since 2000 and Codename 47. Then, around this time last year, the developer confirmed Bateson's absence from Absolution. This sparked a number of online petitions pleading for him to be reinstated as 47, including one that received over 3,500 signatures.IO Interactive's brand director Jon Brooke revealed the developer brought back Bateson after a change of heart, saying that on reflection the developer was "just playing hard to get." That's certainly one way of putting it.Bateson will finally return as the dapper, bald assassin on November 20, when Absolution releases worldwide for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Steam Summer Sale, Day 4: Saints Row: The Third, Walking Dead, Indie Bundle 4 and more
Survival Diary, Day Four:I don't know how much longer I can keep hiding here. It was safe at first; quiet even, like a snow-packed forest or the very depths of the sea, but his footsteps continue to grow closer. Eventually, he's going to find me, and when he does the very core of me will be torn inside out and used to purchase games like Saints Row: The Third, The Walking Dead or any number of the other games on sale today.I know now that my sanctuary beneath the sofa is no longer a sufficient haven in which to ensconce myself, so I must attempt to find new refuge. There's a very good chance this is my last entry, so please, if you find this, tell the pocket watch I love her.Always,Wallet
Hitman HD Collection gives away its position on Italian retail site
A Hitman HD Collection featuring Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman 3: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money has been listed on Italian retail site 16 Games with a launch date of October 15. The collection is up for the PS3 only so far and runs €30, or $37. "Enter a world of crime, sin and greed," the description, as translated by Eurogamer, reads. "Penetrate deeper into the recesses of the mind of Agent 47, the world's deadliest assassin. Remaining anonymous, being quick and totally ruthless: these are the keys to a perfect execution. Follow Agent 47 while executing orders on behalf of slum-living criminals or on behalf of the highest summits of power. Nothing is important except the target." The series' fifth title, Hitman: Absolution, is scheduled to hit November 20. We've contacted Square Enix for clarification on any rumored HD collections for Italy, Europe, the US or otherwise.
'Hitman: Sniper Challenge' spotted in magazine ad; spinoff game is Absolution pre-order bonus
A scan of a magazine ad reportedly from Game Informer reveals "Hitman: Sniper Challenge," a downloadable game featuring one "replayable sniper mission," with an emphasis on score. Those scores will likely tie into a contest, as the ad touts "Awesome Prize Packages for Top Snipers."The game is advertised as a pre-order bonus for Hitman: Absolution at GameStop, where it will be handed out when you pre-order. It comes with a sniper rifle item for Absolution as well, the code for which will be given out when you pick up the retail game.
Steam weekend sale on Square Enix catalog, Hitman special deal today
The entire catalog of Square Enix titles on Steam is half off for the entire weekend, with daily deals today through Sunday on top of that already ridiculous sale. Today, the complete Hitman franchise is 75 percent off, at $6.25 for Codename 47, Blood Money and Silent Assassin.The Square Enix Hit Collection, which includes Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Thief: Deadly Shadows and more, is 76 percent off today, for $75 instead of the standard $314.
Square Enix joins Good Old Games with Deus Ex and Hitman
Square Enix has joined the ever-growing list of publishers to bring its classic titles to GOG.com. The first two Square-Enix titles to hit the service are Hitman: Codename 47 and Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition (2000 being the year in question). You can pick up either for $5.99 and $9.99 respectively.GOG promises more Square Enix games to come. We'd expect most of those to come from Square's library of Eidos titles (Thief, anyone?), though the PC ports of Final Fantasy VII and VIII are a slim possibility. Slim.
