Hitman 3 heads to Chongqing for a soaking technical tour
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.
Rain-drenched streets tinted pink by neon lights? No, Hitman 3 hasn't gone all Cyberpunk on us just yet. Rather, developers IO Interactive have given us a peek at the stealthy sandbox threequel's visual upgrades with a trip to new location Chongqing, a Chinese city whose rain-swept roads are perfect for showing us lots of close-up shots of raindrops splashing off Mr Hitman's extra-shiny scalp.
The third stage to be announced for Hitman 3 following Dubai skyscrapers and a good ol' fashioned English murder mansion, today's trailer is less interested in Chongqing's secrets than it is in how the town's nightlife reflects off of Ian Hitman's spit-shined forehead.
The bulk of the video, then, is dedicated to showing off the Glacier engine's fancy new graphical and lighting tech. Not one for packing a brolly, Agent 47's clothes will be soaked if he stands out in the rain for too long, while puddles will ripple under the chrome-dome killer's feet. I do enjoy a bit of a look at a new engine's editor, mind, even if rotating a few fences and lights is thoroughly guilty of dogmouthing.
On PC (and the new, next-gen tellyboxes), Hitman 3 should easily hit 4K 60fps, with support for HDR. The updates aren't just visual, either - under the hood, IO claim that Hitman 3 now supports AI crowds of up to 300 unique actors, and note that animations have been spruced up to help hitting men feel more responsive than ever.
These updates are planned to stretch backwards into Hitmen 1 and 2 as part of IO's big "World Of Assassination" trilogy. Hitman 3 arrives on January 20th as an Epic Store exclusive, though it looks like the devs hope to carry over things like location progress and mastery from your old Steam titles.
After that? I wouldn't be shocked if these technical improvements found themselves shaken (not stirred) into IO's upcoming James Bond game.