One Next-Gen Hitman Project Canceled, But Another Remains

It’s your classic good-news, bad-news situation for fans of the esteemed stealth/action franchise.

Earlier in the day, VideoGamer spotted the LinkedIn profile of Square Enix Montreal senior game designer Richard Knight, which listed a next-gen Hitman project as being canceled. At the same time, it seems that the team in question is working on a new installment for iOS and Android platforms.

So, does this mean we’re not getting a true-blue next-gen Hitman title?  No, we are getting one; it’s just not in development at Square Enix Montreal.  Rather, as confirmed in a statement to GameSpot, it’s in the works at series creator IO Interactive:

“There’s a bit of confusion around the Hitman projects currently in development at Square Enix-owned studios and so we wanted to take the time to clarify what each studio is working on to clear up some of this confusion. Io-Interactive is developing a new, AAA Hitman game that will be coming to PC and next-gen consoles and Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on mobile development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise. We look forward to sharing more details about these titles later this year.”

Can Hitman find success in the new generation?

It seems quite possible.  Developer IO Interactive delivered the well-received Hitman: Absolution in late 2012, and the title sold relatively well, too.  Stealth is as healthy as ever, as fans of the niche genre are eagerly anticipating games like the upcoming Thief and Metal Gear Solid V.   For the record, the Eidos team in question here is cranking away on that anticipated Thief reboot.