IO Interactive has changed Hitman Absolution in response to the negative reaction the action-packed “The Saints” trailer received with its PVC-clad nuns. They won’t be removed, but more context will be given to their presence.
“The Saints trailer is based on a level within the game,” said Hitman Absolution director Tore Blystad. “One way to go about that level is to go in all-guns blazing, but of course, it’s not the smartest way. We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory. We’re working within the game – within that level – to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you’re getting and you aren’t put off by them.”
While hundreds of workers had seen the trailer internally, Blystad claims, they did not anticipate the negative response it would get publicly. “We were surprised by the reaction to it. We’ve been trying to find out, y’know, how could we not see this happening If we knew it would get such a negative reaction we would have done it in a different way,” said Blystad. “The game is inspired by Grindhouse-style movies, so for us the trailer was natural way to deal with that subject matter. We hope when people play it they have fun with it.”
Blystad argues that the Saints fit within the Hitman universe, which has had levels in a variety of places, including bondage clubs. “The Saints fit into that somewhere, but it is a more extreme level in the game than others,” he said.
In the end, IO Interactive is not expecting any truly negative impact on the release of the game from the trailer. “There will have been so long between the trailer coming out and the game being released that people will have forgotten about it,” Blystad concluded.
Source: Eurogamer
