IO Interactive outlined how levels and progress will be carried over to Assassin 3 of the previous games in a complicated FAQ on today’s website, and it’s a mess for players on the PC, apparently thanks to Epic Games Store and Steam not playing well with each other.
On console, things are pretty simple. Players who already own it Hitman 1 and 2 on PS4 or Xbox One can transfer their progress to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Assassin 3 and redeem both sets of levels as DLC in the new game. But on PC, things are not that simple.
“We have done everything we can to make this process smooth and player-friendly,” IO Interactive wrote in his pre-launch post today. “However, due to several circumstances beyond our control, we would like to acknowledge that the process is different from our original plans for PC players.”
Anyone who buys Assassin 3 within the first 10 days of launch on the Epic Games Store, where it is currently exclusively timed, will automatically gain access to the Hitman 1, which is also available separately on Epic Games Store as DLC. However, Hitman 2, which is not currently sold on the Epic Games Store, must be re-purchased as DLC to allow PC players to access those levels, even if they already have the game on Steam.
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“Such as Hitman 2 is not available on EGS, we have set a discount of 80% for this access pass for the first 14 days thereafter Hitman 3’s launch, ”wrote IO Interactive. “It also gives access to the Hitman 2 access pass for extension. In other words, the studio gives PC players that have to buy again Hitman 2 a huge discount to unlock the content Assassin 3 for the first few weeks, although it’s not clear exactly how much they still have to pay.
As you would expect, for a long time Hitman players over to the game’s subreddit are upsetpartly because IO Interactive itself had previously stated that existing owners could play all of their favorite Hitman levels in one place at no extra cost.
“[W]We are pleased to confirm that PC players can transfer and unlock their current progression from Hitman 2 on Steam into Assassin 3 on Epic Games Store, ”the studio wrote last August. “It is also possible for PC players to import locations from the previous two games into Assassin 3 on Epic Games Store. We want to make it a seamless process for our PC players Assassin 3 on another PC platform and continue to enjoy the benefits of our World of Assassination. “
Clearly, something has changed in the months since, although it’s not clear exactly what. Epic and IO Interactive did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Such as Assassin 3 will only be exclusive to Epic Games Store for 12 months, one option players will have is just wait for it to finally come to Steam. The other is to simply pay for the reduced purchase cost Hitman 2 again. Both are bad.