Updated on 1-14-16 by Mike Epstein: Publisher Square Enix announced Thursday that Hitman will now be released as a six-part episodic experience, rather than a single game. The “Introduction Pack,” which includes a prologue and opening missions will be released March 11, rather than the full game. Stay tuned for the full story.
Sony has cancelled all pre-order sales of Hitman on PlayStation 4 Wednesday due to unspecified changes to “the configuration” of the game. Customers who pre-ordered the game were notified of the cancellation with a message sent through PSN. According to Polygon, the message matched a statement released on Sony’s technical support forums.
“Thank you for pre-ordering Hitman. The publisher has notified us that the configuration of the product you pre-ordered has changed significantly. As a result we have withdrawn the current pre-order from PlayStation Store and will cancel all pre-orders. You will receive an email confirmation when your pre-order has been cancelled. A revised pre-order for Hitman will be available on the store soon”
The pre-order page for Hitman on the PlayStation Store seems to have been restored as of Thursday morning, though the release date has been pushed back from March 11 to December 30, 2016. The Square Enix Store listed the release date of the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game as December 31, though the PC and PS4 download versions were still set for the official March release date.
However, this may all be a technical hiccup related to the “configuration” change. Square Enix specifically tweeted Wednesday the game has not been delayed, asking customers concerned by the cancellation and its ominous language not to panic. The publisher said it would clarify the nature of the changes “in a few days.”
Related: Hitman GO makes the jump to PS4, PS Vita in 2016
If your HITMAN preorder is cancelled, don't panic. Release date is still March 11. We're adjusting a few things & will update in a few days.
— HITMAN (@Hitman) January 13, 2016
The incident comes just a month before a pair of scheduled beta tests for Hitman. Announced at Sony’s PlayStation Experience convention last month, developer Io Interactive will open the game for testing on PS4 February 12, and PC on February 19. Pre-ordering the game grants players access to the beta. Square Enix also announced at the show that the PlayStation 4 version of the game would feature six console-exclusive missions called “The Sarajevo Six.”
Article originally published on 1-14-16.
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