LONDON, January 21, 2026 — Five years after its release, Hitman 3 is being celebrated as an all-time classic, a testament to the power of independent game development and a forward-thinking approach to content delivery.
A Legacy of Assassination
Table of Contents
The enduring success of Hitman 3 demonstrates how an independent studio can thrive by prioritizing long-term player engagement and consistently delivering value.
- Hitman 3 has evolved into a central hub for content from the entire World of Assassination trilogy.
- IO Interactive’s independence allowed for a unique, generous approach to post-launch support.
- The game continues to receive free content updates five years after its initial release.
Alex Donaldson of Eurogamer argues that Hitman 3’s longevity is directly linked to IO Interactive’s independence. While Square Enix initially backed the World of Assassination vision, the studio’s continued belief in the project—and its ability to operate outside the constraints of a larger publisher—allowed it to flourish.
All of this is also a testament, I suppose, to independence. While Square Enix clearly believed in the World of Assassination vision enough to bankroll the first game, they clearly didn’t have subsequent belief to continue. IO Interactive did and has ultimately reaped the rewards – and to be fair, much of what has been accomplished likely could not have been in a larger publishing operation. The way Hitman 3 has morphed into a hub for content from all three games, for instance, and the way it continues to deliver free content five years after release, feels like the sort of forward-thinking generosity only an independent studio could manage.
Hopping into Delightful Gameplay
Shifting gears from stealth to platforming, Michael Beckwith for Startmenu reviewed the charmingly quirky Big Hops. While the game offers a visually appealing experience, Beckwith notes some frustrating platforming challenges and occasionally unclear direction.
I wouldn’t say Big Hops is a slog to get through, but between some of the more frustrating platforming challenges, the aforementioned unreliable fruit and veg, and occasional unclear direction, progression sometimes felt unsatisfying. Occasionally, it felt like I only made it to the next part of the game by accident, like I had stumbled on a solution through sheer luck and not by outsmarting whatever intentions the devs had. That’s why it’s imperative that Hop controls so well. Even if I wasn’t having as much fun as I should have, at no point did I feel like I was fighting with the controls.
The NFL Coaching Carousel
Turning to the world of sports, Ray Ratto of Defector offered a cynical but insightful look at the ongoing NFL coaching carousel. Ratto points out the cyclical nature of firings and hirings among NFL owners, driven by a fear of appearing ridiculous.
The 10 owners involved in this cardboard-box cycle have fired 50 coaches and 28 general managers or football operations boss in their time, collectively. None of them are new to any of this; the issue is what they do when their pals in the suite on game day start laughing at their teams, because just as Jack Woltz told Tom Hagen right before he got a horse’s head in his bed, “a man in my position cannot afford to be made to look ridiculous.” So they do this instead – 47 times in this half-decade alone. As a meaningless aside, the coach with the second-longest tenure with their current team, Sean McVay, turns 40 this Saturday.
The Curious Case of Bennett Foddy’s Onesie
Finally, Keza MacDonald of The Guardian delved into the creation of the intentionally awkward character in the walk-and-fall sim Baby Steps. The interview reveals a surprisingly thoughtful discussion about character design and, inexplicably, a fondness for large posteriors.
“I don’t know why he is in a onesie and has a big ass,” shrugs game developer Gabe Cuzzillo. “Bennett just came in with that at some point.”
“I thought it would be cute,” replies Bennett Foddy, who was formerly Cuzzillo’s professor at New York University’s Game Center and is now his collaborator. “Working on character design and animation brings you over to liking big butts. I could give you an enormous amount of evidence for this.”
As the reflection fades, a sense of liberation washes over. It’s 2026, and the cycle is broken. A new dawn arrives, accompanied by a familiar tune. “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day,” one might think to themselves. “It’s a new life for me, yeah. Fish in the sea, you know how I feel. River running free, you know how I feel. Blossom on the tree, you know how I feel.”
A mask is removed.
Ade Edmondson, you know how I feel.
