Hitman 3 will be an Epic exclusive

IO Interactive has revealed a new location for the upcoming Hitman 3, and also a new storefront: announcing that it will be an Epic Store exclusive when the game releases in 2021. "This partnership with Epic has given us the freedom to create the game exactly as we imagined," says IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak, "for our fans and for our community uncompromised."

A trailer released alongside the Epic announcement shows off Thornbridge Manor in Dartmoor, England, the first of Agent 47's new assassination sandboxes, hitman hotspots, strangulation locations—whatever you want to call them. If this isn't Hitman's bid to jumpstart English tourism in 2021, I don't know what is.

Hitman 3 will, for the first time in the series' history, be self-published by IO. Originally owned by Square Enix, in 2017 the publisher parted ways with the IO, and Hitman 2 has Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on publishing duty.

Despite Hitman 3's new home on the Epic store, IO has confirmed that existing progress from Hitman 2 on Steam will still carry over to the sequel.

If this news has made you think it would be a good time to give this Hitman thing people keep talking about a try, good news: 2016's Hitman will be free on the Epic Games Store from August 27 to September 3, to keep forever