Hitman Franchise Reaches New Heights with Enormous Milestone

Hitman: World of Assassination Reaches 75 Million Players, a Monumental Milestone for IO Interactive

IO Interactive proudly announced that Hitman: World of Assassination has surpassed a remarkable 75 million players. This impressive achievement encompasses players who utilized the free starter pack and those who experienced the game via Xbox Game Pass during its two-year tenure on the service. This likely makes it IO Interactive's most successful title to date.

It's important to note that World of Assassination isn't a single game, but a compilation of the latest Hitman trilogy. Following the release of Hitman 3, IO Interactive cleverly bundled the three titles into one package, while still offering individual game purchases. This combined trilogy relaunched on PC and consoles in January 2023 and expanded to the Meta Quest 3 in September 2024.

On January 10th, IO Interactive celebrated this "monumental" achievement on Twitter, highlighting the studio's robust current business standing. While specific breakdown wasn't provided, Hitman 3 likely significantly contributed to the overall player count, given its strong sales performance exceeding its predecessors in key markets like the UK.

The Impact of Xbox Game Pass and the Free Starter Pack

The 75 million player milestone is largely attributed to the game's two-year availability on Xbox Game Pass (ending January 2024) and the readily accessible free starter pack offered since the 2021 release. Free demos for the first two trilogy entries further broadened the game's reach.

Hitman's Future: A Temporary Hiatus

While Hitman: World of Assassination continues to receive regular updates, including elusive targets, IO Interactive is currently focusing on other projects. The studio is not actively developing a new Hitman game at this time. Instead, their efforts are directed towards Project 007, a James Bond game in development since 2020, and Project Fantasy, a new IP announced in 2023 that explores a fantastical setting.