In a recent interview, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Ablak gave an in-depth review of the lessons learned since the studio launched the modern version of the Hitman trilogy in 2016.Regarding the "game release in chapters" model that has recently been rekindled by the success of "Super Hero Dispatch", Abraak admitted that IOI's attempt on "Hitman" may be "premature" and said that "007: Dawn" will also adopt a complete release model.
Abraak’s analysis pointed out that there are essential differences in the design concepts of “Hitman” and “Super Hero Dispatch Center”: “We insisted that one level of “Hitman” can provide more than 50 hours of game experience, while the structure of “Super Hero Dispatch Center” is closer to the traditional chapter model."He explained that the levels of "Hitman" are known for their high-density design and focus on repeated playability; while "Superhero Dispatch Center" provides branch paths through narrative choices, the replay value of a single chapter is relatively limited, which requires the development team to speed up the release pace of subsequent chapters.
"I am also playing "Super Hero Dispatch Center" myself, and probably half of the people in the world are playing it. It is a great game," said Abraak, "but the two are indeed different. We were really too ahead of our time and made a lot of mistakes. When the replayability of a single chapter is low, players will naturally expect to play subsequent content faster."
These experiences prompted IOI to rethink the length of the game.Ablak specifically mentioned the inspiration for the short episode model: "Not all games require a 40-hour process. I really like the British short series with only six episodes, which is just the right length. We think these thoughts are very meaningful for future works."
Although the 2016 version of "Hitman" adopted a chapter-based release model, IOI has basically abandoned this approach in "Hitman 2" and "Hitman 3", instead keeping players active through regular updates such as "Special Objectives".The studio is currently working hard to develop "007: Dawn", which is expected to be officially launched on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch2 platforms on March 27, 2026.
