Hitman’s new Casino Royale level starring Mads Mikkelsen is a ‘promise’ to players, IO says

IO Interactive has told VGC that the new Hitman: World of Assassination mission starring Mads Mikkelsen is part of a “promise to players” that the game will offer experiences that can’t be had outside of Hitman.

At Summer Game Fest, IO announced that Le Chiffre from the James Bond film Casino Royale, played by Mads Mikkelsen,  is now available in Hitman: World of Assassination as an Elusive Target.

Speaking to VGC as part of a forthcoming interview, Martin Ansdal, senior level designer on Hitman, said that IO’s commitment to the game, and to providing new experiences in the Hitman framework, is part of a promise to players.

During the discussion Ansdal referenced the fully playable poker and roulette minigames which feature in the newly released mission. As shown during the IO Interactive showcase, players can play poker against Le Chiffre as part of the mission to assassinate the James Bond character.

In one of the mission’s many permutations, players can play a high-stakes poker game against Le Chiffre in an attempt to eliminate the target.

“I think that’s the thing,” said Ansdal. “Hitman is such a unique IP, and the reason why it has this staying power is because it is unique.”

“You can have an experience in Hitman that you can’t have in any other game. As a designer, that’s just incredibly enticing.

“It establishes a promise, it’s a promise to the player, right? You’re not going to have a Hitman mission where you can’t participate in what’s going on.”

Our interview took place following IO Interactive’s showcase in Los Angeles California, which took place on Friday.

At the event, the company announced that it is working on a brand-new co-op experience, Stone & Knight.

Speaking at the event, IO said the co-op experience will “challenge you to rethink your approach now that you’re going to play as a duo”. It added: “It’s still early days, but we can’t wait to be back with more news on Hitman co-op soon.”