Hitman delayed to March 2016

Io Interactive has announced that Hitman, which was originally slated to come out on December 8, will not be released until sometime in March of 2016. The studio said the decision was prompted by the size of the game and the pseudo-Early Access release model, which will see it "put out a good chunk of the game" at launch and then release the remaining content over time.

"We want to make absolutely sure you all get the best possible experience when you join, so we’ve made the difficult decision to move the initial release date to March 2016," the studio explained at Hitman.com. "These few extra months will mean we can add more to the launch content of the game, more than we had originally planned, and then follow with a tighter frequency of updates, which ultimately will create a better game for everyone."

Io offered a more detailed explanation of its release plan for Hitman in July, when Creative Director Christian Elverdam explained that it's neither Early Access nor episodic, but somewhere in between, and kind of like both. Precisely how the post-launch content will break down wasn't, and still isn't, clear, although that information is apparently on the way.

"Moving a launch date is never an easy decision, we know it’s frustrating to have to wait a bit longer for the game, but we truly believe it will mean we can deliver a better launch and overall experience," Io said. "We’ll share more details next week about the full release schedule and scope of Hitman in general so keep a look out for that."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.