The best non-Hitman game from Hitman's devs wouldn't have happened if it didn't blow EA execs' minds and 'low expectations' with a hocus-pocus demo powered mostly by dreams

The best non-Hitman game from Hitman’s devs wouldn’t have happened if it didn’t blow EA execs’ minds and ‘low expectations’ with a hocus-pocus demo powered mostly by dreams | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Action The devs on Deus Ex: Invisible War knew its most-hated part was a ‘terrible idea,’ and they give the director ‘sh*t about it all the time’ FPS Deus Ex: Invisible War wasn’t what it should have been because the studio moved to an engine that was really built for Thief: ‘A super-boneheaded call, very bad decision… it really tanked development’ Gaming Industry How often do we see game sequels totally shift genres? 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When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: EA) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter These days, we indelibly associate IO Interactive with the Hitman series, but back when the studio was young we… well, we associated it with the Hitman series. It’s been making Hitman for a while, starting with its first game, Hitman: Codename 47, all the way back in 2000.But after releasing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin two years later, IO zigged where you thought it would zag: it released Freedom Fighters, a squad-based third-person shooter set in a Soviet-occupied USA. Its claim to fame was its rather excellent battle system, where the overall battle was made up of all sorts of smaller skirmishes between different squads and soldiers, and that made the whole thing feel very alive indeed.It was great, is what I’m saying, and it almost didn’t get past the suits at its publisher, EA. In an interview with Edge magazine, lead designer Mads Prahm recalls that EA had some serious doubts that the Hitman guys could pull off an action-packed shooter. To be fair, they had good reason to think so: “For the first year or so, I remember we really struggled,” said Prahm.Article continues below You may like The devs on Deus Ex: Invisible War knew its most-hated part was a ‘terrible idea,’ and they give the director ‘sh*t about it all the time’ Deus Ex: Invisible War wasn’t what it should have been because the studio moved to an engine that was really built for Thief: ‘A super-boneheaded call, very bad decision… it really tanked development’ How often do we see game sequels totally shift genres? “Making a fast-paced, very casual console game with completely different controls, movement schemes and AI for the characters… There was a lot of press