Assassinations are an inherently dark subject matter, so humor is another core feature of the Hitman franchise and has been since the beginning, going all the way back to Agent Smith’s American flag boxers. As Hitman communications manager Travis Barbour recently told VG247, even though the upcoming Hitman 3 will have a more serious, dark tone than earlier titles, it will still include the franchise’s signature humor.
The humor wasn’t originally by design but rather a necessary step in the series’ evolution. Because of the disguise system, Hitman games are inherently ridiculous. From the very beginning, 47 has been able to don nearly any disguise and fool most NPCs, despite the fact that he’s a bald assassin with a tattoo of a barcode on the back of his head. Rather than try to justify it, IO has embraced the silliness and even heightened it over the years. Over the years, the disguises have become more and more ridiculous, as have the levels themselves. These days, when a goofy bug appears in a Hitman game, like Hitman 2‘s briefcase glitch, IO will likely leave it in. Hitman wouldn’t be Hitman without some laughs here and there.
