Hitman 3 will be released on January 20, 2021 for one year exclusively in the Epic Games Store. This circumstance apparently takes care of developer IO Interactive unforeseen problems.
The Danish studio had previously promised that owners of Hitman 1 and 2 would get the so-called Access Pass for the successor Hitman 3 free of charge. So you could play the levels and missions from the two predecessors directly in the latest assassin title, including new features.
This is now not working as planned on the PC: According to one Blogpost of IOI “various circumstances beyond our control” cause them to Don’t keep promises like this can. The developers justify this with the fact that the second part did not appear in the Epic Games S tore.
Accordingly, it would be necessary to verify ownership of the game via Steam. There seem to be problems here. On consoles, both ownership detection and progression takeover work as advertised. As a solution for PC gamers, the developers are now offering a price reduction, albeit with a time limit.
If you are less interested in the trappings and more in the game itself, we recommend our play preview:
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Hitman 3: This game deserves more attention
Discount as compensation
With the following action, IOI now wants to calm the minds of angry PC gamers:
Hitman 1: The DLC in the form of an Access Pass for Hitman 1 GOTY Edition is available free of charge in the Epic Games Store up to ten days after release – so you will get the game for free if you buy Hitman 3 during this period. Anyone who already owns Hitman 1 Standard Edition on Epic, for example through the gift campaign in summer 2020, can upgrade to the GOTY Access Pass at any time.
Hitman 2: The DLC in the form of an Access Pass for Hitman 2 Standard and Hitman 2 Gold will be sold with an 80 percent discount up to 14 days after the release – how much remains as the purchase price remains to be seen. In addition, further discounts are to follow regularly.
Progression, on the other hand, is apparently possible
These offers reassure fans in social media but hardly. Disappointed players note that the also promised takeover of the Progression from the two predecessors in Hitman 3 apparently possible without any problems is. The data in the IOI account was sufficient for this. The question arises as to why a confirmation of ownership from the predecessor should not work in this case.
Some suspect a pretended justification and accuse the developers of wanting to boost sales of Hitman 3 right after the release by only making limited-time offers.
IOI itself did not comment directly on the allegations. We have asked the studio for a comment and will keep you posted.
Epic also speaks out
Epic boss Tim Sweeney was also dissatisfied with the fact that players who already have Hitman 2 on Steam may be asked to checkout again in the Epic Store. In a tweet he announced that he would work with IOI to find a solution:
“Sorry, the team is checking this with IO. It is never Epic’s intention to create a situation where someone who owns a game on Steam would have to purchase it again from the Epic Games Store.”
Link to Twitter content
This suggests the possibility that the last word has not yet been spoken in this chaotic situation.
In order to save the hustle and bustle and not have to buy Hitman 3 at full price due to the time limit of the offer on Epic, patient Steam players have the option of sitting out the one-year Epic exclusivity and finally buying the game on Steam.
