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Negative Fan Reaction To Hitman Saints Trailer Yields Results

You've got to be careful when releasing new content to die-hard fans of any given franchise. Always.

When the Saints trailer for Hitman: Absolution debuted, it generated a whole lot of backlash centered on its shootout-style atmosphere. Why? Because that patented stealth for which the series is so well known just didn't exist.

As a result, developer IO Interactive has responded; director Tore Blystad told Eurogamer that while the Saints trailer is based on a level within the game, and you don't have to approach it with guns blazing, they could've done the video differently.

"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.

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."

Blystad added that the team was inspired by "Grindhouse"-style movies so the trailer fit the style, but the Saints is a "more extreme level in the game than others." Hope that appeases the fans.