Speculation is rife over whether we will soon see the end of the Hitman franchise. After releasing seven main gaming titles and several spin-off games, as well as two movies and even a fantastic Hitman slot, where can Agent 47 possibly go next?

 

Downturn in quality and popularity

2006 and 2007 were a busy couple of years for the Hitman franchise. 2006 saw the release of Hitman: Blood Money; the game that many fans consider to be the best game of the whole series. This hugely popular title was followed the next year by the Hitman game trilogy and a film version, simply named Hitman.

The film was largely unsuccessful both critically and commercial, having been described by Tom Ambrose of Empire Magazine as incoherent and utterly lacking in panache, style or originality. In his damning review, Ambrose concluded that Hitman is missing an s.

Not many expected another film, and gamers would have to wait another five years for a new Hitman title. Fans quickly grew impatient and many speculated as to whether the new game would ever see the light of day.

When Hitman: Absolution was finally released in 2012, it received lukewarm reviews from critics and fans alike. The previous game was (and still is) revered for its awesome action sequences, in which every mission was a rich mine of deadly possibilities. By contrast, Absolution sacrificed much of the action for a pretty weak story.

The 2012 game is notable for its switch of direction, but many felt it didnt need to change anything. But thats just it ? After youve seemingly exhausted every possibility, where do you go? And after IO Interactive did everything to ensure Blood Money reached the peak it did, surely the only way is down from there?

 

The end for the Hitman movies?

As previously stated, not many would have expected a sequel to the awful 2007 Hitman film. Yet in 2015, Hitman: Agent 47 hit cinemas. The film received almost universally negative reviews, with an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hitman: Agent 47 was also the fourth most popular film during its opening weekend, which makes it a failure in modern commercial terms. If previous Hollywood trends are anything to go by, the signs are that we wont be seeing any more Hitman films in the near future.

 

Resurgence of the video game series

In 2016, IO Interactive announced the episodic release of the seventh main instalment in the series, simple called Hitman. At the time of writing (early September 2016), each of the four episodes released to date have received positive reviews and continue to pick up new players every day.

It is impossible to review the game as a whole until the final episode, Colorado, is release on September 27. Yet it is likely that even those who were baffled (or put off) by the episodic nature of the release will come back to find a well-rounded game.

After all, the guys at IO Interactive have done everything to listen to player feedback and to make changes accordingly with every new release. So while the Hitman game series hit a bump in the road with Absolution, this resurgence makes it likely that we will see more games in the (hopefully not too distant) future.