
Hitman 2 recuperated its developmental costs but its launch during a crowded release window negatively affected sales. The game's maps, sandbox design, gameplay enhancements, humour and assassination opportunities were praised, though the story and the multiplayer modes received a mixed response. Upon release, the game was met with generally positive reviews critics considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor. Hitman 2 was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2018. The studio supported the game with additional content, including two paid maps, and free elusive targets and contracts. The first game's episodic model was abandoned and Hitman 2 was released in full. Because the framework had been created with the previous game, development of Hitman 2 was faster than usual, taking about twenty-one months. With a limited cash flow, the studio laid off nearly half of its employees and had to reduce the scope of the sequel, whose development was about 25% completed. Sales of the 2016 episodic game Hitman fell short of expectations, prompting the series' publisher Square Enix to sell IO Interactive, which became an independent studio after a management buyout. The game also has online multiplayer modes called Sniper Assassin and Ghost mode, though the internet servers for these were shut down in August 2020. Like the previous game in the series, Hitman 2, players can freely explore six large sandbox locations.


The game's story continues the plot arc started in Hitman and follows genetically-engineered assassin Agent 47, who is searching for the mysterious "Shadow Client" and his allies, who are trying to destroy Providence, a secretive organization that controls the world's affairs. It is the seventh major installment in the Hitman video game series, the sequel to 2016's Hitman and the second game in the World of Assassination trilogy. Hitman 2 is a 2018 stealth video game that was developed by IO Interactive and published by Warner Bros.
