IO Interactive dropping episodic SKUs for Hitman Season One
Studio will no longer sell intro and upgrade pack, only complete series
Hitman developer IO Interactive is making significant changes to the way it's selling last year's episodic action game.
An update on the studio's official website says that in "approximately two weeks time", the various SKUs available for Hitman's first season will be streamlined to a single option: the full package containing all episodes.
To clarify, the Intro Pack - positioned as a sample for the episodic series - and the Upgrade Pack - containing the rest of the content - will no longer be available for purchase.
It's essentially a complete reversal of how the game was originally launched. First pushed as an episodic game, with consumers originally expecting to purchase each mission separately, it was later repositioned as an initial purchase followed by a season pass with the promise of a complete package at a later date. It's a model that caused some confusion when first announced.
IO Interactive says these changes "have been planned since early March" (notably, before the studio was put up for sale by Square Enix) and are intended to "make it easier and simpler to buy the game".
It is also to "help us lay the foundations for our future plans for Hitman", fuelling speculation that the developer may be allowed to retain the IP as and when a buyer is found.
The post specifies how these changes will be implemented on Steam, Xbox One and PS4 respectively, essentially discounting players for any episodes or content they already own. Interestingly, individual episodes will remain available to purchase on both consoles but not PC.
The changes will not affect anyone who has already purchased The Complete First Season or the Upgrade Pack.