On November, IO Interactive rolled out the Closed Technical Test for the upcoming Freelancer mode in Hitman 3. The CTT brought a lot of feedback and insights from the players, making the developer implement several changes that the mode will see. Today, the developer has announced what the changes will be ahead of the mode's release.
Some of the changes include minor revisions to improve immersion, like changing the values around Merces (Freelancer's currency) to more important balance changes, such as adding large Merces payouts for players who complete campaigns. IO Interactive seems to have taken a lot of feedback around the CTT to heart and wants to make the experience more accessible to Hitman 3 players, old and new.
The CTT also allowed IO Interactive to study some of the behavioral patterns of players to help with some balancing decisions. For instance, players will now be punished for eliminating a suspect that isn't the target to disincentivize killing every suspect indiscriminately. Additionally, a small punishment was added for killing civilian NPCs.
Not everything revolves around punishing players, however. A new 'base payout' system will also be added, which will reward players for completing missions without doing the optional payout objectives or prestige objectives. Additionally, the developers will also add persistent item versions of several tools so players won't hesitate to use them and fear losing them if they fail their mission.
Hitman 3's Freelancer Mode is a new way of playing Agent 47's game which combines the already familiar assassination playstyle with roguelike elements. The mode also gives you a new Safehouse base, where you can store favorite items and prepare for missions. Of course, IO Interactive also introduced a risk factor into the mix with additional missions and prestige objectives.
IO Interactive expects that these changes for Hitman 3's Freelancer Mode will improve the overall experience for many players. What will the final release version of this mode look like? Well, there's only one way to find out. Hitman 3 Freelancer Mode will make its debut on January 26, 2023. Hitman 3 can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch (via the cloud).
