The fabulous legends at IO Interactive, who created the Hitman series, have just dropped another bomb about how they slashed development costs for Hitman 3-by doing away with highly detailed toilets! You heard it right! CEO Hakan Abrak explained that Hitman 3 cost up to five times less to produce than the first game in the rebooted trilogy, with much of that saving coming from a refusal to sweat the tiny details like ultra-realistic bathroom fixtures.
According to Abrak, they finally learned. They said, “Never again would I do new toilets,” citing how during Hitman: Absolution, developers poured resources into detailed minutiae that didn’t really add to the gameplay. That thinking carried on throughout Hitman 3, basically saying, “Why waste effort for things most players don’t even notice?” Instead, the developers re-purposed assets to simplify the workflow and focus on the bigger, more intricate levels and smoother assassination mechanics.
Absolutely outrageous! Hitman 3 was reportedly created under a production budget of $20 million, whereas its predecessor, Hitman (2016), had a $100 million budget! The stark contrast proves just how proper or mismanagement of resources can either make or break the finances of a game-the calculations behind a game can be witty or wickedness itself. Online gamers had mixed opinions: Many did find the “toilets cost millions” joke very funny, while others sincerely applauded the pragmatic approach of the developers.
Another tweet by @SeoulBrotherNo1 explained that reusing the first game’s engine probably helped in trimming costs too, while @Oblivionisback bizarrely called for a “toilet comparison” between the two games. @suayrez wondered whether Hogwarts didn’t have bathrooms for the same reason—cost-cutting. (Though, to be honest, vanishing poop would be a whole other level of magic.)
The opposite held with @Ilovenickherrs berating them for their cheapness: claiming only Rockstar and Kojima Productions really put in “real effort.” However, @adivraza thought that was a good thing, opining, “That’s a clever way to save money, focusing on what really matters in the game.”
What does this mean for future games? IO Interactive is currently working on Project 007, their new James Bond game, and if the Hitman approach is anything to go on, then expect them to prioritize gameplay over pointless polish. And honestly? That’s probably a good thing. Because while a photorealistic toilet might be impressive for five seconds, nobody’s replaying a game just to admire the plumbing.
On that note, the billion-dollar successful Hitman 3 shows that less is more in this case – less so for saving millions and more for providing a much better game. If other developers had learned the lessons instead of wasting on unwanted things. Wait, what was I saying? Oh right-check your toilets, but maybe don’t spend millions on them.
