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"Gamers Don't Want Unfinished Content," Square Enix Exec Says About New Hitman
The new Hitman is changing things up from past games, in that Square Enix plans to launch new episodes of content on a regular basis following its launch to keep people interested. Some have voiced concerns, however, about not getting a "full" experience at launch for their $60. But in a new interview, Square Enix Europe CEO Phil Rogers stresses that the version of Hitman fans play on day one won't be an "unfinished" game.
"We want to keep the business model very simple," he told GamesIndustry International. "There's going to be one price, so we're not talking microtransactions, and it allows us to evolve the content itself... Gamers don't want unfinished content, so we're being very clear. This is going to be AAA, polished Hitman as you'd expect. But we can continue to create experiences, so the world only expands. We're experimenting."
Rogers cited Just Cause 2 as an example of a game that could have benefited from ongoing support.
"We left that world from a production standpoint three months before we shipped the game, and yet consumers have spent the next five years in that world," Rogers said. "If we'd continued to evolve that world for consumers we think they would have enjoyed it."
The executive went on to say that Just Cause 2, released in 2010, to this day has hundreds of thousands of unique monthly players. He also said Square Enix is looking for ways to "get more content to consumers" across all of its games, though he didn't specifically cite this year's Just Cause 3.
Square Enix has not yet announced exactly what content will be available for Hitman on day one, though that information should be revealed soon.
The new Hitman is due out later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC across digital channels. A physical release will follow in 2016.
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"We want to keep the business model very simple," he told GamesIndustry International. "There's going to be one price, so we're not talking microtransactions, and it allows us to evolve the content itself... Gamers don't want unfinished content, so we're being very clear. This is going to be AAA, polished Hitman as you'd expect. But we can continue to create experiences, so the world only expands. We're experimenting."
Rogers cited Just Cause 2 as an example of a game that could have benefited from ongoing support.
"We left that world from a production standpoint three months before we shipped the game, and yet consumers have spent the next five years in that world," Rogers said. "If we'd continued to evolve that world for consumers we think they would have enjoyed it."
The executive went on to say that Just Cause 2, released in 2010, to this day has hundreds of thousands of unique monthly players. He also said Square Enix is looking for ways to "get more content to consumers" across all of its games, though he didn't specifically cite this year's Just Cause 3.
Square Enix has not yet announced exactly what content will be available for Hitman on day one, though that information should be revealed soon.
The new Hitman is due out later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC across digital channels. A physical release will follow in 2016.
More...