Hitman 2 Developer Talks About Its Painful Breakup With Square Enix

Last year, Square Enix made the dramatic announcement that it would narrow its focus down to its key franchises and studios. This meant that developer IO Interactive and the Hitman franchise were put up for sale. Hitman 2 was already in development when this announcement came down, which put the future of the studio and the Hitman franchise in question. IO Interactive was ultimately successful in becoming an independent company, and it was able to retain the Hitman rights. Eventually, IO partnered with Warner Bros. on the soon-to-launch Hitman 2.

In an interview with GameSpot, associate director Eskil Mohl reflected on this challenging time for IO Interactive. IO had to make a number of layoffs as part of the deal. While this was difficult, Mohl said it helped the team that remained become further unified and driven to make Hitman 2 better.

“It’s sort of a miracle that we’re here today,” Mohl said. “We’re super happy and excited about that because of course it’s been a rough time. It took a long time to find Warner as well.”

Mohl said when Square Enix dropped IO and the Hitman franchise, the situation felt dire. He said he remembers thinking, “Oh sh*t, we’re flying over the Atlantic and we don’t have enough gas to get there. So what the hell do we do?”

As mentioned, one part of coming to a solution was cutting jobs–and this was difficult.

“We had to let a lot of people go. But that made the team that was left really come together [and say] ‘Let’s do this, we believe in the product.’ We were already working on Hitman 2 and then this thing happened,” he said. “It sort of unified us in a way. Yeah, it’s been super hard, but its always a lot of work, but it’s fun work. It really made us go, ‘Yeahhh we can do it!.'”

And regarding IO’s new partnership with Warner Bros., Mohl said it’s been smooth sailing. Similarly, Square Enix was pleasant during the breakup, he said.

“I can only say super positive things,” Mohl said. “We’re super happy with Warner Bros. And they seem to be happy with us, right? [looks at PR person in the room]. I have to say, after Square left us, they’ve been extremely nice to us. They had to focus on other stuff, so that was fair.”

Hitman 2 launches on November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The actor Sean Bean, who typically portrays characters who die, is the first Elusive Target in the sequel. You can watch a trailer for this in the video embed above.

Ark Survival Evolved Nintendo Switch Version Coming Soon, Features “All Content” From Original Game

The dinosaur survival game Ark: Survival Evolved will launch for Nintendo Switch on November 30, developer Studio Wildcard has confirmed. The Switch edition was worked on by Abstraction Games in Netherlands; that studio also co-developed some of the game’s other console editions.

In a press release, main developer Studio Wildcard said the Nintendo Switch version of Ark: Survival Evolved contains “all the content and features of the original award-winning game.” Specifically, this includes the entire island featuring more than 100 combined dinosaurs and other creatures.

A trailer for the Nintendo Switch edition has also been released, showing off the game’s visuals in handheld mode. There is no word as of yet if Switch owners will also get Ark’s previously released paid DLC, Aberration and Scorched Earth, or the upcoming Extinction add-on. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.

Ark became a major success story after it launched on Steam Early Access in mid-2015 for PC. The game has since been released in full across PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

A free-to-play mobile version of Ark was released by the studio behind mobile adaptation of Rockstar games like GTA: Chinatown Wars and GTA: San Andreas.

The Walking Dead: “The Obliged” Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow…

Aside from the very end, when Rick and Daryl escaped the Pit of Despair, dodging plummeting walkers on the way up (almost Tomb Raider-style), and then Rick went to head off Herd-icane Tordelia, there wasn’t much to “The Obliged.”

The way last week’s episode left off, it seemed like Maggie and Daryl were headed to Alexandria right that minute. Which I was admittedly concerned about because – well – Daryl was carrying that heavy gas can and those wire handles can dig into your palm like a sonofabitch. Seriously. I didn’t know how he was going to shlep that thing all the way.

As it turned out, the two simply crafted a plan to visit Negan. Or, more to the point, Maggie did. Daryl stayed behind completely to snoop on Rick and make sure he either didn’t catch wind of it – or to make sure his warnings went unheard.

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WWE Evolution: Live Blog and Results

It’s time to Boo the Woo!

WWE’s Evolution PPV represents history-in-the-making – though one could easily argue the build up to the show has been lackluster. All we can hope for now is that the matches deliver and the crowd on-hand at the Nassau Coliseum is loud, raucous, and hungry for women’s wrestling.

As WWE’s first-ever all-women’s PPV, Evolution is a monumental and prestigious happening. Though ever since its announcement, this past July, Evolution’s been grossly shoved to the side for the sake of promoting two international supershows – Australia’s Super Show-Down from the beginning of the month and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Jewel, happening next Friday – which more or less serve as four-hour paid tourism commercials for those countries. Yes, Evolution’s been woefully underserved, often taking a back seat to all other events while also, more recently, getting stifled by the controversy surrounding WWE’s decision to still go forward with their Crown Jewel event.

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WWE Evolution 2018: Live PPV Results, Match Updates

The Kickoff Show for Evolution is over, and there were no matches during the pre-show. This is WWE’s first-ever all-women’s PPV, and it is now under way. Check out the results live, posted below as they happen.

WWE is about to make history, as the sports entertainment company will be hosting its very first all-women’s PPV today, Evolution. The monumental show will take place at NYCB Live in Uniondale, New York, and it will feature superstars from the past and present.

Evolution’s main card begins at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT, with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior. There has not been a bout announced for the Kickoff Show, but there’s a good chance one will be added last minute. Renee Young, Paige, and Beth Phoenix will host the pre-show, and then Young and Phoenix will join Michael Cole for commentary during the main card.

There is a lot on the line for this major event. The Raw, Smackdown, and NXT women’s titles are all on the line, and Evolution will host the finals of the Mae Young Classic, as Toni Storm takes on Io Shirai. Additionally, there is a battle royal with more than 20 superstars, and the winner of that match will get a future title shot. In total, there are seven matches on the main card for Evolution, which you can watch on the WWE Network.

For more on Evolution, check out our predictions, the history of the women’s revolution, every woman on the roster ranked, and the best women’s matches of all time.

The matches for Evolution, below, may not happen in the order listed. In case you’re not caught up, don’t worry; we put the final results in spoiler blocks.

Evolution Match Card:

  • Battle Royal
  • Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad
  • Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai (Mae Young Classic 2018 Finals)
  • Kairi Sane (c) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Championship)
  • Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Last Woman Standing Match for the Smackdown Championship)
  • Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nikki Bella (Raw Championship)

Entrants in the Battle Royal:

  • Asuka
  • Naomi
  • Carmella
  • Nia Jax
  • Ember Moon
  • Alicia Fox
  • Dana Brooke
  • Lana
  • Billie Kay
  • Peyton Royce
  • Mandy Rose
  • Sonya Deville
  • Tamina
  • Torrie Wilson.
  • Michelle McCool
  • Alundra Blayze
  • Ivory
  • Molly Holly
  • Kelly Kelly
  • Maria Kanellis
  • Zelina Vega

Main Card Start Times (Kickoff begins one hour prior)

  • 10 AM AEDT (Oct. 29)
  • 11 PM GMT
  • 7 PM ET
  • 6 PM C
  • 4 PM PT

Kickoff Show

No matches during the Kickoff Show.

Main Card

Updating…