Io Interactive has asserted time and again that Hitman is not a reboot, despite the dropped subtitle. Rather, it's a 'distillation' of the elements that make Hitman Hitman, co-opting the existing lore as the need arises. If you spent the weekend playing Hitman's prologue in the beta, you'll have a feeling for how Agent 47 came into the employ of the International Contract Agency. The opening cinematic bridges the gap between the end of the prologue and the start of Hitman's Paris mission.
In the intervening 20 years, 47 sweeps through the thermal baths of Hotel Gallard from the original Codename: 47 to the fan-favourite Delgado vineyard of Blood Money. Io is going hard on the nostalgia, but it seems fitting for what it's trying to achieve.
March 11 is but a few short weeks away, and we'll find out if the gamble on an episodic mission structure pays off.
