IO Interactive’s CEO revealed an innovative approach the studio implemented to save costs during the development of the latest Hitman games. In an era when many sequels risk inflating production budgets, the Hitman World of Assassination trilogy successfully sidestepped this issue.

Released between 2016 and 2021, this trilogy received strong critical acclaim while adhering to the classic gameplay design recognized in the series. In early 2023, Hitman 3 was rebranded and merged under the Hitman World of Assassination umbrella, granting players access to content from the previous two entries at no additional cost. This strategy resulted in the trilogy offering a seamless experience from beginning to end.

In a recent interview on The Game Business Show, CEO Hakan Abrak discussed the financial strategies behind the trilogy. He emphasized that by reusing certain game assets, long-term costs were significantly minimized. As Abrak stated, “We were just doing new everything, and it was just a throwaway… If you just look at Hitman, the way we build, especially after Absolution, I swore never to do more new toilets.”

His remarks illustrate that while asset reuse is common among various game developers, IO Interactive excelled in developing immersive environments for the Hitman trilogy.

Abrak shared some insights on the savings brought about by this material reuse strategy, suggesting, “Without being too precise: Hitman ’16, let’s say that if that was $100 million, Hitman 2 was maybe $60 million. Hitman 3 was $20 million.” Though these figures weren’t exact, they successfully convey how this efficiency enabled IO Interactive to achieve greater results at a reduced cost.

The critical reception of the trilogy remains robust, with all three titles being classified as top-tier stealth games. Review aggregators reveal that the critic scores were remarkably consistent, averaging at 84, 83, and 85, indicating that the reuse of certain assets didn’t dampen critics’ opinions.

Despite ongoing support, IO Interactive has more plans for Hitman World of Assassination, including potential upcoming content like a co-op mode currently in development. It’s exciting to see IO Interactive finding new angles in gameplay after such an extensive period invested in the series.