Posted on Monday 31st Mar 2014 at 11:43 AM UTC By Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, Deputy Editor for OXM
The next Hitman game won't be an Absolution-style audience expansion project, Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda has told Nikkei Trendy - it'll be first and foremost a game for long-term fans of the series.
Announced in January, the new Hitman is next gen (or should that be "current gen"?) and PC exclusive, and is the story of "a globetrotting Agent 47 at the prime of his career". According to the release, gaming's most sinister baldy will "[stalk] his prey across the world, with the support of his long-term handler Diana Burnwood and the whole of the ICA. The game concentrates on the core Hitman fantasy of using a wide range of tools to take out a diverse group of targets across expansive, exotic locations around the world."
Square Enix feels returning the franchise to basics is now vital. "The development team for Hitman: Absolution really struggled in this regard," Matsuda told the mag, viaSiliconera. "They implemented a vast amount of 'elements for the mass' instead of for the core fans, as a way to try getting as many new players as possible.
"It was a strategy to gain mass appeal. However, what makes the Hitman series good is its appeal to core gamers, and many fans felt the lack of focus in that regard, which ended up making it struggle in sales."
"So, as for the AAA titles we're currently developing for series, we basically want to go back to their roots and focus on the core audience, while working hard on content that can have fans say things like 'this is the Hitman, we know'. I believe that is the best way for our development studios to display their strengths."
Read more about the specifics here. Square Enix plans to reveal additional details later this year.
Fonte Totalxbox.com
Il presidente di Square-Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, ha rivelato alla pubblicazione nipponica Nikkei Trendy che il prossimo capitolo di Hitman sarà maggiormente dedicato al pubblico storico della serie.
Il gioco sarà un prequel della serie e vedrà l'Agente 47 agli esordi della sua carriera di assassino, impegnato nella ricerca dei propri obiettivi in giro per il mondo con il supporto di Diana Burnwood e dell'organizzazione ICA.
"Il gioco si concentra sul mondo particolare di Hitman e richiede ai giocatori di utilizzare vari strumenti per colpire obiettivi in ambientazioni varie e disparate".
Stando alle parole del presidente, le nuove meccaniche inserite nell'ultimo capitolo per cercare di attirare nuovi giocatori, hanno avuto l'effetto opposto, cioè allontanare i fan dei vecchi capitoli ecco perchè questo cambio di rotta.