Remember Sniper Assassin, the fun online co-op mode that was made available to pre-order customers for Hitman 2? Well, it won’t be limited to a simple pre-order bonus with a single map, as Hitman 2 will launch with an expanded version of Sniper Assassin as “a game mode in itself” – and there will be more maps for it too.
We spoke with Travis Barbour, community manager at Io Interactive on the game, about the various new modes the developer is introducing to Hitman 2 alongside the single-player component. He told us that Sniper Assassin is a full game mode – “it’s not just a stand alone pre-order thing, it’ll be in the game from the get-go.” He also confirmed, “there will be more maps for that in Hitman 2.”
The original Sniper Assassin was a single-map play mode which released back in June for anyone who pre-ordered Hitman 2. It could be played in single-player or online co-op, and in it players were tasked with taking out three targets in 15 minutes – with the twist that they could only use sniper rifles and weren’t allowed to move from their starting spot. It was a lot of fun, with a surprising amount to do in it considering the simple setup.
Barbour also talks about the new addition to Hitman 2, the exciting new Ghost Mode – where two players face off against each other in the ultimate test of speed, stealth, and skill. “It’s part of a bigger ambition that we have to introduce new ways to play Hitman,” he says.
“Obviously multiplayer is a cool thing. We wanted to try and see how that would work for Hitman. We didn’t just want to add multiplayer into Hitman, but do Hitman multiplayer.” You can check out more from our interview with him here, which also covers the inspiration for the new modes and how high-level play within Ghost mode will work.
“We use the analogy of having a buffet: we have the single-player campaign, we have the online co-op missions, and now we have a competitive multiplayer mode as well. So we’re providing lots of different ways to play Hitman.”