https://www.gog.com/game/hitman_game_of_the_year_edition
DRM FREE . No activation or online connection required to play.
Very interesting …
However I don’t see how that would relate to IO’s own servers for connectivity.
https://twitter.com/TheKotti/status/1440667786863206409
I’m seeing no signs of Hitman’s always online requirement having been removed. Doesn’t that go against GOG not having games with DRM in them?
So I bought the game and will report back on how it works.
Huh, hopefully we’ll also see H2 and 3 on GOG once the Epic exclusivity expires 
There is no exclusivity upon HITMAN 2 though
I can see H2 appearing since its support has ended, but H3…
H2 has issues with Warner Bros. They technically publish the game. If you’re wondering why the whole Epic kerfuffle even happened with access passes needing to be purchased, then this the strongly suspected reason; Warner Bros. being dicks and forcing IOI to make a convoluted method of redemption. The fact H2 can’t be bought, yet 2016 and 3 can on EGS…I don’t think that’s a co-inki-dink if you ask me.
Square Enix, in a rare case of being half decent, don’t appear to mind DRM free releases on GOG (hell, Bloody Money, Abso and a few other SquEnix-published games are on GOG too).
Huh. Interesting move for IOI, but…
The online progression system is still there? That seems pretty counter-intuitive.
(And a bit worrying for what other “offline” versions might look like – the servers are still up however, so I’m sure we won’t see that final offline update until they’re ready to take them truly offline.)
Do you think they know that the campaign does not allow any progress without the servers, and that 99% of the items/entrances are locked ? This is beyond ridiculous, it is completely against the whole concept of their platform.
When I saw the game on GOG, the first thing I thought was that they launched a real offline mode on the first game to see how it goes and get feedback. If they didn’t do anything… god save them.
For all we know, this could be a tease for IOI Insider, where they’ll reveal an offline mode for 2016, 2 and 3. I very much doubt it, but the timing does work out if you wanna follow that path of logic.
It’s a very IOI Move to release something to then explain what the hell it even is (poorly), and then explain it better.
It doesn’t make sense from a marketing standpoint, but I hope you are right.
Please note: Internet connection is required to access Escalation missions, Elusive Targets or user-created Contracts. Story and bonus missions can be played offline.
It’s very misleading though. They can add :
Basically anything that gives the player a sense of progression and makes the game good.
I mean technically no one lied here… the game can be played offline. You won’t get the full experience for sure, and you’ll miss out on a lot, but it is “playable”. I have to wonder with all of the ownership transfers, IP issues, exclusivities, and everything with Square Enix, Warner, IOI, and everyone else, what entity actually put this up for sale on GOG.
It seems that this is far from being the first time.
That’s pretty much how “DRM-free” works on GOG now - as long as you can play the game offline at all, no matter how bare-bones, any kind or amount of content can be locked behind online DRM. It’s a lost battle, we’ve been over this before[…]
I am very pessimistic because it could mean that IO considers that this game can be really understood, valued and fully appreciated in offline mode, which could push them to definitely gave up a full online mode.
I’d rather not comment further and hope that Travis or Clemens have some answers.
Same. I’ll release my thoughts in video format tomorrow/ 24th if they say anything. I’ve put up a question in the official questions thread for the insider show.
Let me rephrase my comment as to not offend everyone under the moon.
It’s laughable IOI think they could get away with this on GOG, and they show they don’t care about their players again.
I guess IO did not think much of this, just another place to drop the game on.
Not really got much to add to the eloquently expressed sentiments already posted in this thread (especially by @Dribbleondo and @Hardware), but just wanted to add my voice to the growing chorus that IMO if a ‘proper’, fully-functioned Offline mode isn’t added into whatever the final state of HITMAN 3* ends up being, then I will feel betrayed and let down by IOI and it will affect my decision-making when deciding whether to buy IOI games in the future. The WoA trilogy is such an absolute masterpiece of a game that it will be a travesty if steps aren’t taken to preserve it in its entirety beyond the finite lifespan of IOI’s HITMAN servers. This release of HITMAN on GOG doesn’t seem to be pointing at the future we want to see, so please take note of this feedback, IOI, and don’t ruin your relationship with players who love your game: there’s still time to do the right thing, but this isn’t an encouraging sign…
*I’d prefer all three standalone executables of HITMAN, HITMAN 2 and HITMAN 3 to get the much-wanted Offline patch, but if push came to shove I could live with only H3 getting the Offline overhaul, since H1 and H2 can be played in the H3 launcher (and are probably at their best there).
It’s a matter of time until it gets more and more attention.
This doesn’t look good for GOG / CDPR
At least it brings the subject back on the table, and lead to some discussions, just not in the best way… since Hitman 2016 is now the lowest rated game on their entire storefront. I think they (IOI) are fully aware of the consequences of such a DRM in case of a default for one reason or another but still, they remain completely silent.
If IO bankrupted in 2017, Hitman 2016 would be unplayable since, so nobody can say that this scenario can’t happen when it almost did a few years ago, and this is just one possibility among many other that could lead to a breakdown of the user content management aka DRM.
And just a remember :
