has been a hot topic for almost four years, thanks to IO Interactive’s PSVR version that was later released on Steam. XR Games’
aims to expand on that premise. I recently interviewed Bobby Thandi, CEO of XR Games, to find out more. Reloaded’s development began three years ago when IO Interactive’s Chief Technical Officer and Chief Creative Officer wanted to bring Hitman to new audiences, which led to PSVR and PC VR support in the original game.Hitman 3 VRRecognizing that Quest has the largest user base, IOI wanted to create a completely untethered experience. It soon realized, however, that a Quest Port would be a huge technological challenge. So IOI sought out several outside studios. Thandi says that XR Games’ selection is “one of the happiest moments in the history of the studio.” Thandi said that IOI CTO believed this was “not technically possible.” They also thought that Quest 3 was coming soon, as Quest 2 had launched just two years before the original headset. So he encouraged an “open mindset.” Quest 3 was the only option, given our budget and time constraints. I was curious to see how XR Games would improve on the feedback that Hitman 3 VR received. “We listened carefully to what the community wanted and liked, and we also listened as they told us what improvements they would like on PSVR or PC VR. For the Quest Version, we wanted to cover as many aspects as possible. Thandi recommended that when designing a VR standard game you should start by identifying all the VR interaction options and possibilities, and then work on your gameplay loop and environment. Comparatively speaking, bringing a game from one platform to another requires the engine first. Hitman 3 is powered by IO Interactive’s Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded. That presented its own challenges.VR Games Showcase“It was only ever intended as a console engine, not for mobile devices such as Quest 3. It was a challenge to get the engine running from the headset. We finally got a disco in RGB color after a year of effort. It was an amazing moment. Thandi compared this situation to being in a dark room, with your eyes completely covered. You can only see the disco. Once XR Games got the renderer working, it focused on getting as much of each level functioning as possible before moving on to the VR interactions.
Unsurprisingly, Thandi advised the biggest technical challenge was getting Hitman 3 running on Quest 3 since everything’s made for console, admitting that level of visual fidelity “would never work” on Quest, and they didn’t want to recreate everything in a new engine. That led to the new art style and serious discussions about streamlining the process to get this done, telling me that recreating all the assets would have been prohibitively expensive.
“We don’t have that team size, nor the budget. We had to use what IO Interactive already had and see what was needed. “
While
also received a “
” edition on PSVR 2 with cel-shaded visuals, the art style for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded wasn’t influenced by the studio’s previous choice and was instead chosen because it is most optimized. “PC VR hands-onWhile
also received a “
” edition on PSVR 2 with cel-shaded visuals, the art style for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded isn’t influenced by the studio’s previous choice and was instead chosen because it’s the most “optimized” approach.Glacier Engine“Having experience from Zombieland helped in terms of how it would look and how it could be done, but we arrived at the decision independently. We were able to make the decision because we had done it before. After the agreed art style and gameplay system was online, XR Games implemented the VR interaction they desired, such as the dual-wielding of items and weapons. Reloaded used an Agent 47 full-body-model at first, so that you could glance down to see what outfit you were wearing. XR Games decided to use floating hands in order to create the “most freeing experience” for players. Reloaded now renders the entire body from below, which is a performance boost. However, this also meant that an alternate approach was needed for clothing. A wristwatch acts as a “map” and displays what outfit you are wearing. Other changes XR Games made include a greater level of physicality to increase immersion. Reloaded also uses room-scale movement so you can walk around your space, if there is enough space. Reloaded also utilizes room-scale movement so you can walk around your room, space permitting, to explore.
Thandi advised that XR Games is “not unwise to the fact” that there are always more things people would want to do, though a large game like Hitman 3 creates some limitations.
“The processing power required to make every single object physics-based is impossible for the Quest headset we’ve got, given the size of the game. We’ll keep working to make the game better. It’s not confirmed whether or not the post-launch content from Hitman 3: VR Reloaded will be available on flatscreen versions. This includes Freelancer mode. Thandi says she is satisfied with the current state of Reloaded, telling me that actions such as crouching down in Berlin’s weeds to conceal, dual-wielding and tossing coins enhance the experience. After completing the World of Assassination series, I am eager to learn more.