Hitman 3 out January 20, includes free next gen upgrade if you buy digital

Hitman 3 is launching on January 20, and if you opt to buy it digitally on current gen platforms, you’ll get a next-gen upgrade completely free. 

This means that Xbox owners who choose to download Hitman 3 will get the game on both Xbox and Xbox Series X via Microsoft’s Smart Delivery service. With Sony offering no such service, PS4 owners will need to purchase the game digitally, and then developer IOI will allow them to download Hitman 3 on their shiny new PS5 without coughing up any cash.

With many publishers opting to tackle next gen upgrades in different ways, the simplicity from IOI is a welcome one.

While Microsoft has committed to releasing all it's first party games via the cross-gen Smart Delivery service, the console manufacturer has stated that third party publishers can choose whether to opt in to the service or not. Sony has instead opted to leave matters entirely up to the developers, with big releases like Cyberpunk 2077 and Destiny 2 offering the same deal as Hitman 3.

From other publishers, however, next gen upgrades all get a bit confusing. To date, it has been confirmed that games like Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and NBA 2K21 will not offer free next-gen upgrades on either platform, with each franchise costing different amounts to upgrade. You can read more about the wonderful world of Smart Delivery, cross gen editions and next gen upgrades here. Don’t even get us started on next generation consoles and disc-based backwards compatibility….

In less headache-inducing news, Hitman 3 is looking great, and you can check out a new trailer for it above. Ahh, that’s better.

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