IO Interactive has announced that Hitman 3's upcoming rogue-like freelancer mode, which is expected to introduce strategic planning and a customizable safehouse, has been delayed until February 26 of next year. The good news is that the developer will run a playtest through Steam early next month.
The announcement was made along with the reveal of the closed technical test, allowing a batch of select players to try the main aspects of the freelancer mode, such as "unlocking mastery, customizing the safehouse, and eliminating syndicate leaders." Further information regarding the registration process and how the technical test will work will be provided soon. "We will be selectively inviting Hitman 3 players on Steam to jump into the Closed Technical Test and put it through its paces," the official blog post by IO Interactive reads.
The developer team aims to make changes based on player feedback before fully launching the mode for Hitman 3 owners early next year. According to the statement, IO Interactive will put its servers under stress to see how long they can withstand heavy traffic. It was also revealed that the hotly anticipated mode, described as "the next evolution of Hitman," will arrive as a free update, allowing each player to create their freelancer gunman without having to finish the campaign.
The development process will require a little more time since the freelancer mode will include almost all locations from the World of Assassination. Going into more detail, this mode allows players to achieve everything they want with Agent 47. They will engage the characters introduced in Hitman 3 again, but this time they won't have to stick to the campaign, as its world has so much more to offer, according to the development team.
IO Interactive has launched the 'Road to Freelancer' series that provides information about the rogue-like mode, which will continue with a new post on October 27.