Since launching at the start of last year, Hitman 3 has received positive praise from gamers and critics alike, perpetuating the series as one of the best stealth franchises going. With the bald and stoic assassin being one of the most recognizable characters in gaming, it seems that there is still potential left in the series. However, there has been some controversy surrounding the latest installment's launch on Steam, and while Hitman 3 recently went on sale over on Epic Games Store, it seems to be back to full price for some reason.
Hitman 3 was available, for a short time at least, at a discount to celebrate the start of Epic's own Lunar New Year event, similar to Steam's. It seems that the game was selling for 50% less than the full price on the storefront. However, at the time of writing, it's now off sale and once again selling for the standard $60 / £50 / €60, which is the same price that Steam is currently selling it for. It looks as though the discount was applied and then removed within an hour of each other. While there doesn't appear to be any official reason, it could be down to Valve's pricing policy, something which affects other digital storefronts.
Valve's Restrictive Terms On PC Gaming Sales
The news may be confusing to some people. It doesn't seem to make sense that Epic Games Store can't discount a product on its own site, just because Valve hasn't. However, Steam has a policy whereby games can only be included in a sale once it's been on the store for more than 30 days, which could explain why the discount was taken off.
It basically has to do with Steam's pricing parity and PC gaming dominance. Essentially, Valve has the monopoly on PC gaming, with a controversial business practice that "unofficially" makes it so that Epic, and likely GOG and Humble Bundle, can't sell a game at a discounted price if Steam isn't, essentially meaning that no other platform can undercut the PC gaming giant.
This has caused much contention in the past, with Valve facing lawsuits over Steam prices; the bulk of the argument centering around small game publishers allegedly having to enter into agreements that games will be the same price no matter where it's currently being sold digitally.
A Lot Of Fan Backlash
In any case, fans are no doubt going to be disappointed that the game is, once again, only available for full price. However, there was some good news recently when it was announced that Hitman 3 players would get free upgrades on PC, after the title was review bombed on Steam. This means that anyone who bought the game between launch day and up to February 19 will get a free upgrade to either the Deluxe Edition or the "Seven Deadly Sins" DLC, which was launched last year. However, given that the game is still showing as having "mixed" reviews on Steam, and is still receiving negative feedback, it seems that the damage was already done for many.
The reason behind Hitman 3 being slated on Steam relates to the fact that the game has already been out for a year at this point, but was exclusive to Epic Games Store, which in itself was considered a controversial move. If Epic has seen it fit to remove exclusivity for the game, then a discounted price would be a way to appease a lot of the fans, especially those who are still unhappy. One user on Steam says that those involved have "dropped the ball" when it comes to pricing, and urges people to wait until it's "on Game Pass" or on sale.
Pricing aside, some are just generally unhappy with the Steam release of the game, with one person being particularly displeased with the implementation of VR in Hitman 3, saying that this mode "sucks." Not to mention that, with a lot of AAA releases, there is the unfortunate issue involving the overall quality of the release, with one person saying that the game seems to always "crash when loading." While this is perhaps the least contentious aspect of the game, it once again points a finger squarely at the studios pushing out new releases or ports that are seemingly not finished and "buggy."
As a series, Hitman contains some of the best stealth titles ever made, and the last three installments represent a resurgence for the franchise. It's a bit of a shame, then, that the Steam release of the third game has been marred with such controversy. A free upgrade may appease some, but the year-long title being discounted and then set back to full-price, plus the overall backlash from the community, is just one of many examples whereby gamers and publishers clash.
Hitman 3 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: PC Gamer