<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2018	O
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
seventh	O
main	O
instalment	O
in	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
,	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
2016	O
's	O
Hitman	B-Application
and	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
trilogy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
continues	O
the	O
story	O
arc	O
started	O
in	O
Hitman	B-Application
,	O
following	O
genetically-engineered	O
assassin	O
Agent	O
47	O
as	O
he	O
searches	O
for	O
the	O
mysterious	O
"	O
Shadow	O
Client	O
"	O
who	O
is	O
trying	O
to	O
destroy	O
Providence	O
,	O
a	O
secretive	O
organization	O
that	O
controls	O
global	O
affairs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
the	O
2016	O
episodic	O
game	O
Hitman	B-Application
fell	O
short	O
of	O
expectations	O
,	O
prompting	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
publisher	O
Square	O
Enix	O
to	O
sell	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
an	O
independent	O
studio	O
after	O
a	O
management	O
buyout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
framework	O
had	O
been	O
created	O
with	O
the	O
previous	O
game	O
,	O
development	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
faster	O
than	O
usual	O
,	O
taking	O
about	O
twenty-one	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
's	O
episodic	O
model	O
was	O
abandoned	O
and	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
full	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
by	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
November	O
2018	O
and	O
Stadia	B-Application
by	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
recuperated	O
its	O
developmental	O
costs	O
but	O
its	O
launch	O
during	O
a	O
crowded	O
release	O
window	O
negatively	O
affected	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
trilogy	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
series	O
,	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
stealth	O
game	O
that	O
is	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
includes	O
new	O
locations	O
:	O
a	O
bank	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
and	O
a	O
resort	O
in	O
the	O
Maldives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
download	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
chapters	O
from	O
Hitman	B-Application
if	O
the	O
player	O
owns	O
it	O
or	O
has	O
bought	O
the	O
content	O
as	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
incorporates	O
the	O
gameplay	O
changes	O
added	O
to	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
allows	O
Hitman	B-Application
to	O
be	O
played	O
within	O
Hitman	B-Application
2s	I-Application
improved	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
structure	O
and	O
design	O
are	O
largely	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
(	O
2016	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
controlling	O
the	O
NPCs	O
will	O
notice	O
Agent	O
47	O
through	O
reflections	O
in	O
mirrors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
,	O
Agent	O
47	O
embarks	O
on	O
a	O
mission	O
to	O
find	O
the	O
mysterious	O
"	O
Shadow	O
Client	O
"	O
for	O
Providence	O
,	O
a	O
secretive	O
alliance	O
of	O
corporate	O
executives	O
,	O
politicians	O
and	O
industrialists	O
collectively	O
wielding	O
political	O
,	O
military	O
,	O
and	O
economic	O
influence	O
on	O
the	O
global	O
scale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
47	O
's	O
handler	O
Diana	B-Application
Burnwood	I-Application
reports	O
the	O
mission	O
's	O
success	O
to	O
Providence	O
while	O
visiting	O
her	O
family	O
's	O
graves	O
in	O
Surrey	O
,	O
England	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
taking	O
the	O
antidote	O
,	O
47	O
recalls	O
that	O
the	O
first	O
Constant	O
was	O
a	O
KGB	B-Application
spymaster	O
known	O
as	O
Janus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hall	O
obtains	O
the	O
locations	O
of	O
the	O
Partners	O
and	O
informs	O
47	O
and	O
Grey	O
,	O
who	O
prepare	O
to	O
hunt	O
them	O
down	O
,	O
leading	O
into	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Danish	O
video	O
game	O
studio	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2s	I-Application
development	O
was	O
about	O
25%	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
buyout	O
,	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
owned	O
the	O
intellectual	O
property	O
(	O
IP	O
)	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
and	O
decided	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
first	O
episode	O
free-to-play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
progressed	O
quickly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
foundation	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
(	O
2016	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
originally	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
platform	O
known	O
as	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
developer	O
to	O
add	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
late	O
success	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
helped	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
show	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
demand	O
for	O
this	O
type	O
of	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
studio	O
secured	O
additional	O
funding	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
signed	O
to	O
publish	O
the	O
sequel	O
after	O
partnering	O
with	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
on	O
the	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Hitman	B-Application
,	O
there	O
are	O
two	O
types	O
of	O
levels	O
in	O
this	O
game	O
;	O
"	O
fortresses	O
"	O
—	O
areas	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
infiltrate	O
—	O
and	O
"	O
snailhouses	O
"	O
,	O
levels	O
with	O
a	O
circular	O
design	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
are	O
encouraged	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
peripheral	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
added	O
regional	O
accents	O
to	O
many	O
of	O
its	O
maps	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Mumbai	O
and	O
Colombia	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
DLC	B-Protocol
bank	O
level	O
was	O
originally	O
designed	O
with	O
side	O
character	O
Fabian	O
Mann	O
as	O
a	O
target	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Athena	O
Savalas	O
,	O
however	O
IO	O
were	O
not	O
sure	O
what	O
to	O
do	O
with	O
the	O
vault	O
in	O
the	O
level	O
or	O
what	O
to	O
put	O
inside	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
avoid	O
the	O
situation	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Sapienza	O
"	O
mission	O
from	O
Hitman	B-Application
where	O
IO	O
said	O
players	O
felt	O
forced	O
to	O
go	O
down	O
to	O
the	O
lab	O
to	O
destroy	O
the	O
virus	O
every	O
time	O
they	O
played	O
,	O
IO	O
chose	O
to	O
let	O
players	O
decide	O
to	O
either	O
break	O
into	O
the	O
vault	O
or	O
instead	O
collect	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
data	O
disks	O
carried	O
by	O
various	O
characters	O
(	O
including	O
Mann	O
and	O
Savalas	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
concept	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
reused	O
for	O
the	O
Dartmoor	O
level	O
in	O
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Hitman	B-Application
served	O
as	O
an	O
introductory	O
chapter	O
to	O
the	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
series	O
,	O
Hitman	B-Application
2s	I-Application
story	O
has	O
a	O
more	O
prominent	O
role	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
structured	O
narrative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
was	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
white	O
collar	O
new	O
money	O
"	O
crime	O
thriller	O
whereas	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
focuses	O
on	O
eccentric	O
characters	O
and	O
"	O
old	O
money	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
secret	O
societies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
abandonment	O
of	O
the	O
episodic	O
release	O
model	O
allowed	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
to	O
present	O
a	O
more	O
cohesive	O
story	O
because	O
players	O
often	O
forgot	O
about	O
narrative	O
elements	O
while	O
they	O
were	O
playing	O
Hitman	B-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
sparse	O
release	O
schedule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
Agent	O
47	O
is	O
a	O
blank-state	O
character	O
and	O
the	O
story	O
is	O
mostly	O
driven	O
by	O
his	O
handler	O
Diana	B-Application
Burnwood	I-Application
and	O
Lucas	O
Grey	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
whom	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
emotions	O
,	O
motivations	O
and	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mission	O
stories	O
in	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
were	O
designed	O
to	O
encourage	O
players	O
to	O
try	O
out	O
new	O
gameplay	O
features	O
,	O
tools	O
,	O
and	O
costumes	O
,	O
while	O
providing	O
additional	O
story	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Markus	O
Friedl	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
executive	O
producer	O
,	O
"	O
this	O
little	O
bit	O
of	O
tongue-in-cheek	O
humor	O
 [ is ] 	O
very	O
much	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
DNA	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
announced	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
7	O
June	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
worldwide	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
13	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
although	O
those	O
who	O
pre-ordered	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
gold	O
edition	O
gained	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
four	O
days	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
1	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
released	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
for	O
Google	B-Application
Stadia	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IO	O
Interactive	O
extensively	O
supported	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
with	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
regularly	O
added	O
escalation	O
targets	O
,	O
challenge	O
packs	O
and	O
elusive	O
targets	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
temporary	O
seasonal	O
snow	O
festival	O
event	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
Hokkaido	O
map	O
from	O
Hitman	B-Application
was	O
added	O
on	O
22	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
later	O
being	O
permanently	O
added	O
in	O
December	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
suffered	O
an	O
early	O
bug	B-Error_Name
that	O
was	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
homing	O
briefcase	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
triggered	O
when	O
a	O
briefcase	O
was	O
thrown	O
at	O
a	O
target	O
;	O
the	O
briefcase	O
would	O
spin	O
and	O
fly	O
slowly	O
towards	O
the	O
target	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
target	O
moved	O
around	O
the	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
homing	O
behaviour	O
is	O
an	O
intentional	O
feature	O
of	O
all	O
thrown	O
melee	O
items	O
in	O
Hitman	B-Application
but	O
the	O
speed	O
was	O
unusual	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IO	O
patched	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
the	O
developers	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
bug	B-Error_Name
,	O
adding	O
a	O
special	O
briefcase	O
item	O
,	O
the	O
Executive	O
Briefcase	O
MKII	O
,	O
that	O
restored	O
the	O
slow-homing	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Bank	O
and	O
Haven	O
Island	O
missions	O
continue	O
the	O
story	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
gaming	O
journalists	O
said	O
the	O
episodic	O
model	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
helped	O
players	O
thoroughly	O
explore	O
each	O
level	O
and	O
were	O
disappointed	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
abandoned	O
this	O
release	O
strategy	O
for	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
design	O
received	O
critical	O
praise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
did	O
not	O
extensively	O
experiment	O
with	O
the	O
formula	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
simply	O
"	O
riffs	O
on	O
familiar	O
design	O
principles	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Caty	O
McCarthy	O
from	O
USgamer	O
praised	O
IO	O
for	O
perfecting	O
the	O
formula	O
established	O
in	O
its	O
predecessor	O
and	O
said	O
all	O
levels	O
reached	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
Sapienza	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
widely	O
recognized	O
as	O
Hitman	B-Application
best	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoids	O
Chris	O
Carter	O
agreed	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
"	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
colossal	O
collection	O
of	O
puzzles	O
begging	O
to	O
be	O
solved	O
through	O
multiple	O
playthroughs	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Legacy	O
content	O
received	O
praise	O
for	O
introducing	O
gameplay	O
adjustments	O
to	O
older	O
Hitman	B-Application
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
McCarthy	O
praised	O
the	O
dialogue	O
of	O
the	O
mission	O
stories	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
sharper	O
and	O
funnier	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
adding	O
the	O
script	O
"	O
adds	O
to	O
the	O
silly	O
fun	O
of	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
universe	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
McCaffery	O
was	O
disappointed	O
by	O
the	O
overarching	O
story	O
;	O
he	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
absurdly	O
dumb	O
"	O
and	O
poorly	O
presented	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
attempt	O
at	O
exploring	O
Agent	O
47	O
's	O
backstory	O
is	O
as	O
bad	O
as	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
2007	O
Hitman	B-Application
film	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
agreed	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
production	O
quality	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
evidenced	O
by	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
CGI	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
cinematic	O
cut-scenes	O
are	O
replaced	O
with	O
static	O
images	O
and	O
voice-overs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
debuted	O
at	O
tenth	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
's	O
all-format	O
sales	O
charts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
a	O
competitive	O
week	O
that	O
also	O
saw	O
the	O
launches	O
of	O
Pokémon	B-Application
:	I-Application
Let	I-Application
's	I-Application
Go	I-Application
,	O
Spyro	B-Application
Reignited	I-Application
Trilogy	I-Application
and	O
Fallout	B-Application
76	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
sold	O
10,162	O
copies	O
in	O
its	O
debut	O
week	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
week	O
's	O
fifth-best-selling	O
retail	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IO	O
Interactive	O
CEO	O
Hakan	O
Abrak	O
said	O
releasing	O
the	O
game	O
so	O
close	O
to	O
other	O
blockbuster	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Red	B-Application
Dead	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
2	I-Application
negatively	O
impacted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
recouped	O
its	O
development	O
cost	O
more	O
quickly	O
than	O
Hitman	B-Application
had	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
during	O
the	O
2018	O
Steam	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
Bateson	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
"	O
Outstanding	O
Video	O
Game	O
Character	O
,	O
Best	O
Voiceover	O
"	O
for	O
his	O
performance	O
as	O
Agent	O
47	O
in	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
at	O
the	O
2019	O
Society	O
of	O
Voice	O
Arts	O
And	O
Sciences	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
of	O
Assassination	O
trilogy	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
sequel	O
does	O
not	O
include	O
any	O
competitive	O
online	O
modes	O
,	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
servers	O
on	O
31	O
August	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ambrose	O
Island	O
location	O
added	O
to	O
Hitman	B-Application
3	I-Application
for	O
free	O
on	O
26	O
July	O
2022	O
is	O
set	O
during	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
between	O
the	O
Whittleton	O
Creek	O
and	O
Isle	O
of	O
Sgàil	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
