IO Interactive has revealed what may be the closest we'll come to a multiplayer experience for Hitman: Absolution, an online mode called simply "Contracts."
As described by a press release, "Contracts is a new online mode which allows gamers to create and share their own custom hit challenges within Hitman: Absolution." Players set the level, targets, weapons, and rules for which another player complete the first's contract. Score will be based on time, style, and witnesses the player leaves behind, if any. "Contracts" is asynchronous, and players can compete against each other at any time.
"'Contracts' was inspired by our loyal and extremely creative fans, many of whom are still finding new and amazing ways of taking out targets in previous Hitman games," said Christian Elverdam, gameplay director for Hitman: Absolution. "'Contracts' mode finally delivers a way for Hitman players to fully realize both their creativity and competitive nature. Whether they're fighting to shave off a split second from their time or combining elements and timing events to create unprecedented accidental deaths, gamers can now challenge and inspire each another with an endless variety of user-generated contracts."
Players who successfully comple contracts will be rewarded in contract dollars. The amount earned depends on player performance. In order to create more elaborate and creative setups, the player can choose from a vast arsenal of weapons, disguises, upgrades, and techniques; all of which can be unlocked by either playing through Absolution's story mode, or by spending those hard-earned contract dollars.
Hitman: Absolution will ship with pre-set Contracts, designed by IO Interactive. The game is scheduled for global release on November 20, 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC.