Hitman: World of Assassination Hits Player Milestone

Hitman: World of Assassination Reaches 75 Million Players, a Monumental Milestone for IO Interactive

IO Interactive proudly announced that Hitman: World of Assassination has surpassed a remarkable 75 million players. This achievement solidifies its position as potentially the studio's most successful game to date. The impressive player count includes those who downloaded the free Starter Pack and those who accessed the game via Xbox Game Pass during its two-year tenure on the service.

It's important to note that World of Assassination is a compilation of three individual Hitman titles, not a single game. Following the release of the trilogy's third installment, IO Interactive cleverly bundled the games into one package, while still offering individual purchases. This combined trilogy relaunched on PC and consoles in January 2023 and expanded to the Meta Quest 3 in September 2024.

On January 10th, IO Interactive's Twitter announcement celebrated this "monumental" achievement, highlighting the studio's current strong financial position. While specific sales figures weren't disclosed, Hitman 3 likely significantly contributed to the overall player count, given its strong performance in markets like the UK and faster development cost recovery compared to its predecessors.

The Impact of Xbox Game Pass and the Free Starter Pack

The game's availability on Xbox Game Pass for two years (until January 2024) was a major driver of this success, alongside the readily accessible Free Starter Pack offered since the game's 2021 launch. Free demos for the first two trilogy entries also broadened the game's reach.

Hitman's Future: A Temporary Hiatus

While Hitman: World of Assassination continues to receive regular content updates (including Elusive Targets), IO Interactive is currently focusing on other projects. The studio is presently developing Project 007, a James Bond game in development since 2020, and Project Fantasy, a new IP announced in 2023, showcasing a departure from the studio's established style into a fantastical setting. This suggests a temporary hiatus for the Hitman franchise, despite its recent phenomenal success.