Hitman is getting a "bonus episode" in July

IO Interactive has announced a new, bonus Hitman episode that will arrive on July 19. I suspect it's a bit of a stopgap episode, as it's set in existing locations—Sapienza and Marrakesh—but that nonetheless offers a whopping two ICA assassination missions, one of which features a "crazy giant killer robot". Also on the table: new Challenges and Opportunities, along with an "entirely new setting" for Escalation Contracts and Elusive Targets.

Here's the lowdown on the two new missions:

The Icon:
"When the town of Sapienza is taken over by a film crew shooting a new sci-fi blockbuster. Agent 47 must aim to retire one of the cast members during a climactic scene being staged late at night in the town square."

A House Built on Sand:
"Set at the frenetic night markets in Marrakesh, a mole for a major construction company is about to sell secrets to their largest rivals. Agent 47 is tasked with making sure the leak stops there."

The 'Summer Bonus Episode' will chronicle Agent 47’s first trips to Sapienza and Marrakesh, and IO go to pains in the press release to express that it's not part of the main story arc.

It's not yet clear how much the bonus episode will cost, whether it will be included in the Season Pass, or if you'll need the Sapienza and Marrakesh episodes to play each mission.

Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.