007: First Light Studio CEO Says “There Are Learnings” About Episodic Releases From Hitman

IO Interactive CEO, Hakan Abrak, has spoken about the lessons that the studio has learned since it developed the modern Hitman trilogy, which came out all the way back in 2016. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Abrak was asked about his thoughts on the concept of episodic game releases, which has recently returned as a subject of discussion thanks to the success of Dispatch. He acknowledged that IO Interactive might have been too early with the concept when it tried it with Hitman, but also noted that there are differences between a typical level of Hitman and the more narrative-centric nature of Dispatch.

Abrak spoke about how Hitman levels are typically designed to be much denser and allow for several hours’ worth of gameplay. While Dispatch offers some replayability thanks to narrative choices that players can make, resulting in branching paths, Abrak noted that Hitman’s levels focused on it to a much greater extent. Having less replayability in a given episode also means that developers have to be quicker about releasing the next episode.

“Yeah, I’m playing Dispatch myself, I think half of the globe is. It’s freaking fantastic, it’s a very, very nice game,” said Abrak. “Absolutely. It is a bit different, though, right?”

“We were, for sure, too early with the concept, and there were many, many mistakes made. We were also banging on that one Hitman level can yield 50 hours plus of gameplay, whereas the Dispatch structure is a bit different. It’s a much more episodic format, where yes, you can go back and kiss Mandy, or not kiss her – I actually went back and replayed that part – but when there’s less replay opportunity, then you want to have the next episode coming sooner.”

The studio has taken these lessons to heart, said Abrak, who also spoke about the value of brevity for games. He noted that not all games need to be 40 hours long, and that the medium can also learn from short-form TV shows that tell an entire story in six episodes.

“So yes, there are learnings on that, and I think that’s a huge topic,” he said. “What is the future of gaming? Do all games need to be 40 hours? One of the things I enjoy a lot is short TV series, just six episodes, especially the British ones. I love that, it’s not too long. So I think it’s very interesting, we are thinking about these things for future instalments.”

While 2016’s Hitman saw an episodic release for its levels, IO Interactive largely left the idea behind when it released Hitman 2 and 3. The studio did manage to hang on to some of the episodic trappings, however, thanks to its regular releases of new content like Elusive Targets. Looking to the future, IO Interactive is currently working on 007: First Light for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s another full release rather than an episodic one. For more details about the upcoming title, check out the recent trailer unveiling the Aston Martin Valhalla.