I was considering purchasing Hitman, which released on March 11th, just one week ago. I was considering it at two separate times in two very different ways. The first time I considered purchasing developer IO Interactive's newest entry in the Hitman franchise was during this previous E3. Throughout the gaming festivities, my eyes were drawn to Hitman a few times. Being a series I had no experience with, I figured that this reboot of sorts was a great place for me to begin, with the trailers having me intrigued by the core gameplay concepts. Hitman lies in a different place now than it did then though. It has joined the number of games getting in on a new trend in publishing; an episodic release.





I actually do not have a problem with episodic gaming, I think that it has its benefits; providing smaller experiences with a greater sense of longevity and increasing public interest in a potentially otherwise unseen game due to its smaller price tag and time commitment. While I personally would prefer to wait until all episodes of a game are released to experience it, I don't see much harm in games being built from the ground up with an episodic structure in mind, with successes like Telltale's projects and Life is Strange (interestingly also a Square Enix published game) quite demonstrative of the potential. Not all games are built for episodic though, and not all games should be released in the format even if they are built in similar fashion to them.





Hitman was always planned for some form of staggered release, but not originally as a 7-episode split (at least it was not advertised as such). A game being released in 2 parts at different times is hard to call episodic, and a game which is purchased that later adds free content absolutely should not be. Hitman was certainly split up for an economic gain, and I know because of the second time I considered purchasing the game.





When the 7-episode format was announced in January, my initial interest completely faded, I leaned more towards the idea of waiting until all parts were released in a singular package later this same year. The date of release for the first episode approached, and my mind began to change, largely due to the full package release being delayed into early 2017. Whether this delay was an intentional move on Square Enix's part is impossible to say, but I would not be shocked considering how it effected me and likely others of the same mindset. I strongly considered downloading the first episode to the game, with my biggest impulse being driven by the seemingly tiny $15 price tag. It seemed completely reasonable, but upon some objective thinking, I realized what I'd truly be doing. When the full package releases in 2017, it will cost the average retail price of most other AAA games; $60. If I purchased episode 1, and then decided that I had interest in the entire series of episodes, I would pay a bare minimum of $65. This may seem like a small increase, but there are other factors to consider; that is simply the minimum. I could (as some less aware consumers very well may do) purchase each episode as it releases, and be paying a significant amount greater than $60.





The approach of splitting a larger cost into a number of smaller payments to increase the appeal to the average consumer is not new in the world of business and sales, but when it is done in a quiet and shady manner like I believe Square Enix did, I dislike it greatly, I don't see it as having any place in the video game industry. The games industry currently has enough economically corrupt tactics -- I'm looking at you, microtransactions -- and so long as other things continue to be rampant, we shouldn't have to worry, as consumers or gamers, about the list getting longer.





Square Enix's upcoming episodic remake of the PlayStation classic, Final Fantasy VII

I believe episodic could have a place in the future of gaming, not only as something bearable, but as something great. There is simply too much for me to say regarding my thoughts and hopes for the future to fit into this editorial about its current state. I hope that you may give me your time again for my next editorial where I will look into this prospect, spring-boarding off the discussion hub that is Final Fantasy VII Remake.





What are your thoughts regarding episodic gaming right now? Do you enjoy this format of gaming? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.





Have a tremendous day.