Following a delay in its release date (it was originally scheduled to roll out before 2015 ends), the early 2016 offering of the new "Hitman" game seems to progress smoothly, without any danger of being set back anew. Publisher Square Enix and developer IO Interactive have announced that the beta version of the upcoming title will roll out on February next year.
According to the most recent "Hitman" post on the US PlayStation blog, the beta will roll out for PlayStation 4 fans on Feb. 12, giving those who have pre-ordered the game a sneak peek and early access.
In addition to the PS4 beta rollout, early access will also be given via PC pre-orders. In a report by PC Gamer, Square Enix's official announcement also came with a date for the PC beta, which will be released a week after the PS4 version, on Feb. 19.
The new "Hitman" game beta serves as a prequel to the franchise and a background check for Agent 47 himself. Players both old and new to the franchise who will access the beta will see how the enigmatic and mysterious agent started in ICA, and how his relationship with his handler, Diana Burnwood, began.
According to a PC Gamer report, although Square Enix did not give any specifics on what the beta will include, it would most probably be missions at the start of the game. The blurb for the announcement says that it is "set twenty years in the past at a top-secret ICA recruitment and training facility. This extremely unique mission revolves around how Agent 47 was recruited into the ICA and shows the first time that 47 meets his long-time handler, Diana Burnwood."
When "Hitman" releases in full on March 11, it will roll out with a three-location set of missions that will see Agent 47 hunt down war criminals who were former members of a paramilitary unit labeled as CICADA. Meanwhile, the latter three-location part add-ons will serve as expansion content, bringing the total number of locations to six.
