
Hitman: World of Assassination Reaches 75 Million Players, a Monumental Milestone for IO Interactive
IO Interactive proudly announced that Hitman: World of Assassination has surpassed a remarkable 75 million players. This impressive player count includes those who downloaded the free starter pack and those who experienced the game via Xbox Game Pass during its two-year tenure on the service. This achievement solidifies Hitman: World of Assassination as potentially IO Interactive's most successful title to date.
It's important to note that World of Assassination isn't a single game, but a compilation of the latest Hitman trilogy. Following the release of Hitman 3, IO Interactive cleverly bundled the three games into one package, while still offering individual purchases. This combined trilogy relaunched on PC and consoles in January 2023 and expanded to the Meta Quest 3 in September 2024.
On January 10th, IO Interactive celebrated this "monumental" milestone on Twitter, highlighting the studio's robust current business position. While specific contributing factors weren't detailed, Hitman 3 likely played a significant role, given previous sales data suggesting its outperformance in key markets like the UK compared to its predecessor.
Xbox Game Pass and the Free Starter Pack: Key Drivers of Success
The game's two-year presence on Xbox Game Pass (ending January 2024) undoubtedly contributed significantly to the 75 million player mark. Equally impactful was the free starter pack offered since the game's 2021 launch, alongside free demos for the first two trilogy entries, significantly broadening the game's reach.
Hitman Franchise on Hiatus, New Projects in Development
While Hitman: World of Assassination continues to receive regular content updates (Elusive Targets, etc.), IO Interactive is currently focusing on other projects. The studio is not actively developing a new Hitman game at this time. Instead, their efforts are directed towards Project 007 (a James Bond game in development since 2020) and Project Fantasy, a new IP announced in 2023 that aims to explore a fantastical setting beyond the studio's established expertise.