Hitman 3, the latest title from developer IO Interactive, has been a phenomenon. The game capped off the World of Assassination trilogy that started with 2016’s Hitman, and it’s the first self-published Hitman title from the studio. In a talk with GamesIndustry.biz, we learned just how successful the last Hitman game performed. According to IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak, Hitman 3 has performed “300% better commercially” than Hitman 2.
While the game’s popularity and the sheer number of sales tie into this astronomical statistic, there are some other factors at play here — namely the fact that Hitman 3 was developed and published by IO Interactive. 2016’s Hitman was published by Square Enix, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment published Hitman 2 two years later.
Abrak also claims that the decision to launch Hitman 3 in January played to its success. “Hitman 2 launched in November 18, and there are a lot of big blockbuster games releasing in November, and I think this was just shortly after Red Dead Redemption 2, which obviously had an impact on our sales,” Abrak said. “And I’ve always for the longest time been a big fan of the idea of releasing a Hitman game in January. I always thought that was a great space for a Hitman game to have the attention it deserves with the kind of game it is.”
IO Interactive isn’t quite done with the world of Hitman yet either. The developer recently announced a seven-part expansion for the game titled Seven Deadly Sins.
