- from December 8 to March 2016

- according to developer IO Interactive, Hitman is “the biggest venture” the studio has undertaken both in scope and game content. The extra time will allow for more of that content to be available at launch as Square Enix and IO Interactive are trying something different with Hitman by supporting the game with continuous updates after its release.

- IO-Interactive said in a blog post:

“We’re going for a new release model where we put out a good chunk of the game when it beings and then release the remaining locations over time. We want to make absolutely sure you all get the best possible experience when you join, so we’ve made the difficult decision to move the initial release date to March 2016,”

“These few extra months will mean we can add more to the launch content of the game, more than we had originally planned, and then follow with a tighter frequency of updates, which ultimately will create a better game for everyone. And in the end, that’s what we’re all looking for.”

- To give a sense of scale of the new Hitman’s locations, IO Interactive posted an infographic that compares a mission in the new Hitman called Paris Showstopper to the largest level in Hitman: Absolution, Streets of Hope. Paris Showstopper checks in at six times the size of Streets of Hope in size and in potential targets in Contracts Mode.

- on having delayed the game they said:

“Moving a launch date is never an easy decision, we know it’s frustrating to have to wait a bit longer for the game, but we truly believe it will mean we can deliver a better launch and overall experience. We’ll share more details next week about the full release schedule and scope of Hitman in general so keep a look out for that.”

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/09/22/hitman-delayed-to-2016?

Smart move launching in the month of Uncharted 4

Sucks. Absolution was great. Was really looking forward to this one. At least it will have time to shine on its own--and give us more time to forget that last Hitman movie. Maybe they will let Bret "The Hitman" Hart be their spokesperson....

Honestly. What the fuck are they thinking?

Well, they just have to avoid releasing the same week as a major title in March 2016. It doesn't help that Street Fighter V is also planned to release sometime in March 2016. Just avoid releasing on the same week as a major title so you can maximize marketing resources and aggregate the most attention for your game.

As far as the delay, this is one I fully support and expected. Why would Square-Enix release Just Cause 3 on December 1st then next week release Hitman? Give your major titles some breathing room between each other.

On another note, 2 December 2015 games have been delayed to next year. Just Cause 3 and Xenoblade Chronicles X are the only major titles in Dec 2015 still standing, and something tells me both won't be delayed to next year.

Another day, another delay.
Incoming "2016 is looking better and better!" comments.

xbox's 2016 lineup is starting to look solid.

thats not good.
2016 has too many great games.... would have been better if this wasnt delayed.

Also if I was a game dev, not sure Id want my game launching right when Uncharted 4 & SFV release.

The early access vibe of the game pissed me off anyway, would prefer they hold off until they simply complete the damn thing.

Fucking hell, every game I plan on buying this year gets delayed. First Star Fox now Hitman.....now I have no interest in Xenoblade X....none at all.....its not day 1.....honest.