Fri, May 11, 2012 | 07:12 BST

Hitman: Sniper Challenge official, launching next week

IO’s officially announced that Hitman: Sniper Challenge for PS3 and Xbox 360 will launch worldwide on May 15, after news of the stand-alone experience leaked this week.


“Creating Hitman: Sniper Challenge has been very good for us in terms of putting the new engine through its paces as [Glacier 2] hasn’t previously shipped a game, so it’s good to reach that milestone.”

The standalone effort will form an exclusive bonus available only to those that pre-order Hitman Absolution; a code supplied at the time of pre-order will be redeemable via PS Store, Xbox Live and PC. Hitman: Sniper Challenge will not be available via any other means.

While the console version launches next week, the PC version will land on August 1.

In the US, this standalone experience is restricted to pre-orders placed through retailer GameStop, whilst the rest of the world will be able to pre-order through retailers of their choice.

Hitman: Sniper Challenge takes the form of a single rooftop level set in Chicago, with Agent 47 charged with assassinating a target from an adjacent building armed with a sniper rifle. The mark, arms boss Richard Strong Jr, arrives via helicopter at a rooftop party at which he’ll be present for 15 minutes; during this window of opportunity, players must take out both Strong and as many of his security team as possible.

Leaderboards will track the scores of a player’s friends list as well as at a national and worldwide level to introduce a competitive edge, while score multipliers for headshots and completing various challenges will bump on the base score.

As is befitting of Agent 47, there are options to take out lone security agents unnoticed. By waiting to take the shot until a target is stood near the edge of the building, an open lift shaft or an ornamental pond the evidence can be concealed, further increasing the score potential as players attempt to gain the elusive “Silent Assassin” rank. Performing well will unlock a special edition “Agency Sniper Rifle” for use in Hitman Absolution.

Hitman: Sniper Challenge will be IO Interactive’s first experience to be powered by the Glacier 2 game engine and the team believe it to be representative of the quality of its sibling title, Hitman Absolution.

“Creating Hitman: Sniper Challenge has been very good for us in terms of putting the new engine through its paces as [Glacier 2] hasn’t previously shipped [anything], so it’s good to reach that milestone,” IO Interactive producer Luke Valentine told VG247 today.

“[Sniper Challenge] has a lot of depth, because you could complete it in one minute or you could spend weeks perfecting your score,” Valentine explained. “What we’re trying to establish is that we can cater to people either with limited time or with a lot of time, both with the main game and Sniper Challenge.”

First shots are below. Expect a hands-on with Sniper Challenge on the site tomorrow.

Square Enix has confirmed this afternoon that Hitman Absolution will release globally on November 20 for PS3, 360 and PC.

13 comment-trail-alt Posted in: Action, PC, PS3, Square Enix, Xbox 360
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13 comments

#1

YoungZer0
10/05/12, 2:05 pm

Puh, no multiplayer. I think it’s fair to say that we’re all relieved.

#2

badboy_122
10/05/12, 2:18 pm

the pc version of the sniper challenge will be out August 1 according to the official facebook page of the game & official site

https://www.facebook.com/hitman

http://www.barcode-society.com/weblog/sniper-challenge-release-date

#3

Moonwalker1982
10/05/12, 2:18 pm

Launching on november 20 this year.

#4

Patrick Garratt
10/05/12, 2:19 pm

Square’s got big plans for this. Something you can play as a pre-order incentive is a good start.

#5

Talkar
10/05/12, 2:32 pm

@4
True, but i’ve yet to see any word on if the preorder weapon packs are available to people who doesn’t preorder. And if they are, how much of a ripoff price do we have to pay for them? :/

#6

Gekidami
10/05/12, 2:37 pm

It would be better if it had bullet physics imo. Looks like another case of the sniper rifle being a magical stick that kills whatever its pointed at.

#7

Maximum Payne
10/05/12, 2:44 pm

@6 True. After OF,Arma and Battlefield I am addicted to bullet drop :)

#8

Gekidami
10/05/12, 2:47 pm

^ Sniper Elite too. Adds some skill to the game, though i get that it was made to be like a fast paced arcade shooter, like Silent Scope (but not that fast).

#9

Erthazus
10/05/12, 2:53 pm

I just don’t know. for me new Hitman is more like a Action game like Uncharted. Call me crazy, but that’s how i feel it and that sniper challenge is MEH…

With mouse all these challenges are a piece of cake.

#10

TheBlackHole
10/05/12, 3:11 pm

@6

Watch the last shot on the trailer – bullet delay and trajectory seem to be taken into account. Can’t be certain, but hopeful.

#11

KAP
10/05/12, 3:54 pm

This is what you call a REAL pre-order bonus.
It’s a common practice these days that other studios would have palmed this content off as paid day one DLC.
I hope the gaming industry take fucking note of this. It’s a great idea.

#12

drewbles82
10/05/12, 5:38 pm

Whats to stop people pre-ordering, getting their code and cancelling the order?
I’m interested in playing it but have never pre-ordered a game eva as most games are 39.99 day one, give it 2-3months and you can get it easily for half that.
Besides i really dont think it will be just pre-orders. Give it some time, maybe after or closer to when hitman comes out the arcade game will be available to all.

#13

AHA-Lambda
10/05/12, 5:51 pm

@12- absolutely nothing. I done exactly that with Dead Space 2 for Dead Space Ignition and may do the same for this.

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