Hitman is a stealth video game franchise created by IO Interactive. In each installment, players assume the role of a cloned contract killer named Agent 47, who travels around the world to assassinate various targets that are assigned to him by the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Gameplay focuses on freedom of approach, with most levels placing the player in a large sandbox location where they have free rein to explore and find different ways to reach and eliminate their targets. Stealth is a major component of the gameplay and players are given various tools to accomplish their objectives, such as suppressed weaponry and the ability to take disguises, which allow 47 to blend in with non-player characters (NPCs) and bypass most restricted areas undetected.
The first game in the franchise, Hitman: Codename 47, was published by Eidos Interactive for Windows in 2000 and introduced many of the features which would become staples of the series. Eidos would return to publish the next three games, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004), and Hitman: Blood Money (2006), for Windows and consoles, each building upon Codename 47's foundation and introducing new tools and mechanics to aid the stealth gameplay. After a six-year hiatus, Hitman: Absolution (2012) was published by Square Enix (after their 2009 acquisition of Eidos Interactive) and deviated from the Hitman formula established by the first four games by featuring a more linear structure, which was met with negative responses from many players.
After another hiatus, the next game, titled simply Hitman, was released in 2016 and was a soft-reboot which saw the return to the classic Hitman formula, featuring six large sandbox levels that were released episodically throughout the year. The game was part of a planned trilogy known as the World of Assassination, with the second chapter, Hitman 2, being published in 2018 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, after the franchise was dropped by Square Enix. Hitman 2 dropped the episodic release of its predecessor, opting to release most of its content at once. The final chapter in the World of Assassination trilogy, Hitman 3, was self-published by IO Interactive in 2021. In 2023, IO rebranded Hitman 3 as Hitman: World of Assassination, adding all the content from the previous two titles to the game, free of charge.Mainline games in the Hitman series have been generally well-received, with most critics and players praising the unique take on stealth gameplay and freedom of approach. The games have also been commercially successful, and the Hitman series has become IO Interactive's trademark franchise. Outside of the eight mainline releases, the franchise also includes three spin-off games, two novels, and a comic book miniseries. Two live-action film adaptations, Hitman (2007) and Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), which share no narrative connections with the games, have also been released.
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