page_title: Hitman (2016 video game)
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Hitman (2016 video game) / Development / Design
caption_attribution_description: Amalfi, sea view, Italy, June 2006.
context_page_description: Hitman is a 2016 stealth video game that was developed by IO Interactive and was released episodically for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from March to October 2016. The game, which has six episodes, is the sixth mainline entry in the Hitman franchise, taking place six years after the events of Hitman: Absolution and follows professional assassin Agent 47 as he goes on a worldwide adventure and solves a mysterious series of seemingly unconnected assassinations. Hitman features a number of large, open-ended sandboxes that Agent 47 can freely explore. The game presents the player with various assassination opportunities, many of which are unconventional. IO Interactive introduced a "live component" to the game with new content being regularly delivered in downloadable form.
  Square Enix set up a Montréal studio to work on the next Hitman game, but IO Interactive returned to lead the game's development following the under-performance of Absolution. The title was conceived as a soft reboot and a re-imagining of the franchise as the team attempted to integrate the gameplay of Absolution with the open-endedness of earlier installments of the series.
context_section_description: The major story beats and the destinations were decided by a small groups of development leads, after which a "track team" would be responsible for each level's design, rules, targets, and other details to create a self-contained game world. The first level the team created, Paris, was the vertical slice for the game; it set the gameplay rules, general level design, and the number of non-playable characters for future episodes. According to Elverdem, every level is "fully simulated" and the player is free to explore and observe the behaviours of the AIs. If the player eliminates a certain NPC, the simulation adjusts itself and continue to function, though it will also react to players' actions. The team listened to feedback from playtesters and adjusted the game accordingly. For instance, after some playtesters complained about the level being too punitive, the team introduced the concept of escorting, in which NPCs escort Agent 47 back to a public space if he is found trespassing, whereas in the early version the guards would attack Agent 47.
  The team perceived Hitman as a puzzle game with action and stealth elements; they had several major design concepts. The first concept was named "Swiss cheese"; according to the team, the term means players would be presented with an ample options, and there were multiple ways to move in and out of a level. There are two types of levels in this game; "fortress" refers to an area the player must infiltrate and a "snailhouse" is a level that has a circular design in which players are encouraged to explore the peripheral areas to find ways to access the area in the middle of the map. The level Sapienza was developed alongside Paris, and was designed as the "opposite" of it, both in level design layout and aesthetic. Inspired by Italy's Amalfi coast and the town of Vernazza, the maps feature a snailhouse design. Elverdem described this level as the "pinnacle" of the Swiss cheese design because the map has a lot of verticality and the pathways are interconnected, ensuring players will not find a dead end. The team mainly did their location research using Google Images, YouTube and Google Street View.
  The team incorporated a concept known as "social stealth", in which players are expected to conform to social norms and abide by the rules in a particular setting or context to blend in. Each area in a map is considered to be a microbiome that informs players the way they should act. In each level, the team balanced the proportion of public and private spaces. Players are able to freely walk around in public spaces without restrictions, which enables them to understand the "feel" of the level and discover mission opportunities. There are two types of private spaces; professional spaces that often requires a disguise and personal spaces in which the target can be alone. The AI of targets displays two types of behaviour; some will roam around the map and others will station themselves in a private space that is off-limits to the player. This helped diversify the gameplay loop by encouraging different playstyles. According to the team, the first type of target encourages players to follow them and observe their behaviour and patterns while the latter type prompts players to find ways to infiltrate a setting or gain access to previously restricted areas.
  After receiving complaints about the level being lifeless and boring from playtesters, the team introduced narrative subplots into the game with mission stories and opportunities. These elements position the players on a "rail" that will guide them to their target; this added additional challenges to the game's simulation because opportunities will disrupt the target's usual loop and players can complicate the loop by abandoning an ongoing opportunity in favour of another rail. Despite this complication, the team believed these subplots allow players to discover creative ways that change the AI loop in a meaningful and organic manner. For instance, if the Ether virus is destroyed in Sapienza, one of the targets, scientist Silvio Caruso, will de
caption: Amalfi in Italy inspired the design and the aesthetic of "Sapienza", the second episode.
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