In a new blog post about one of Hitman 3's locations posted today, IO Interactive confirmed that the PC release of its sandbox stealth game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for 12 months. This is in stark contrast to previous installments of the game, which launched on Steam alongside its console variants.
While this normally wouldn't be that big of a deal, the newer Hitman titles have the unique ability to carry over previous levels and missions into new sequels. Hitman 2 allows players to experience all of the first Hitman levels with new features and such. Thankfully, Steam owners won't be left out in the cold with the Epic version.
IO has stated that funding from Epic is part of the reason why Hitman 3 was able to come to fruition, but it didn't want to gate off past owners from replaying content they've already purchased. "We are pleased to confirm that PC players will be able to carry over their current progression and unlocks from HITMAN 2 on Steam into HITMAN 3 on Epic Games Store," reads the update. "It will also be possible for PC players to import locations from the previous two games into HITMAN 3 on Epic Games Store."
At the moment, Hitman 3 is scheduled for a January 2021 release. This means the Steam version won't be available until January 2022 at the earliest. Barring any delays that may crop up, that's a pretty long time to wait. At least if you don't feel like waiting, you won't be punished for changing launchers.
In another move to potentially entice players to switch over, IO Interactive will be giving out the first Hitman game on the Epic Games Store. From August 27 to September 3, you can redeem Agent 47's first adventure to keep indefinitely. It might be a little redundant for players that have already experienced everything, but it could get new customers on board for the switch.
While I'm usually a little miffed by Epic poaching games from other platforms, I can't fault an indie developer for taking the money. It's better that games get made to their fullest potential then to get angry over a launcher that ultimately doesn't matter.
Source: IO Interactive