Hitman dev: standard "multiplayer will always be tempting"

It's too easy to lumber a game with needless mulitplayer these days. IO Interactive have taken the decision to omit standard multiplayer from Hitman: Absolution's makeup. Instead, the title offers a neat spin on competitive play. "Contracts" mode allows players to set targets for their friends to smash. Even so, the developer suggests including traditional multiplayer is an irritatingly attractive prospect.

"The broader sense of synchronised multiplayer will always be tempting to investigate," gameplay director Christian Elverdam told Eurogamer.

"If you look at the games industry right now, there's no silver bullet game saying: 'only multiplayer games from now on!' or 'only single-player games'. I think The Elder Scrolls is an example of game that did very well as a single-player game."

"If you look at the future I think players will be looking for social connectivity.We want to see what our friends are doing. Even if you're a single-player guy who doesn't like twitch-reactions or synchronised multiplayer."

"[But] there also exists a group of people who like to take things at their own pace. In Hitman there's obviously a story, but it's also about playing around with the AI. And that can be a real single-player experience."

Hitman: Absolution is set for release on November 20. The game can be snapped up on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and OnLive.