He has a non binary kid he spends lots of time with and is good friends with Elton John I don’t think he’s actually homophobic or anything and just does it to make slim shady more hateable
10 Likes
After watching the trailer once again, I still don’t know what to expect from this mission.
The etheral atmosphere in Hokkaido looks strange. The concept of Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady sounds promising, but what could be the mission? Killing metaphorically Slim Shady in a dream, in order to free Eminem from its evil doppelganger?
4 Likes
As an Hitman ALL CAPS TM and Eminem fan, a huge wildcard lol Looks fun and interesting
3 Likes
Watched a few reactions to the announcement from people that were livestreaming the Xbox Partner Preview. From what I saw, everyone had the same “wtf?” reaction to this.
5 Likes
I watched a recap rather than a first reaction, and they had one guy bewildered like probably most (" feels like it fell off a truck 20 years ago" 
) and one who was enthusiastic and went into the connection to the last album:
2 Likes
These ETs are not for us.
As stated by IO’s latest financial report and by @Combatglue on this very forum, they are trying to expand WOA’s player base and it had good results already last year so they kept it going.
It worked with the MMA crowd, and looking at the numbers of how this particular is spreading online, this one will be very successful as well.
The reactions on official Hitman FB and Instagram pages, plus big gaming pages, are big and overwhelmingly positive as well. Same on Reddit on Hitman/Eminem/gaming related pages. Stark contrast to the mixed reactions in this little HMF crowd.
Only the timed 5$ microtransaction-y ET package is supposedly to make money off the hardcore players.
Personally, I’m not riled up yet considering it’s less than the price of a coffee here.
But IOI has become a different firm to what started the WOA franchise a decade ago. No doubt about it. More studios, more AAA.
The real test for me is First Light. Do they still have that IO trademark touch of creativity or is it getting to be more generic now? Could honestly be the case from the trailers, but I reserve my judgement of course.
16 Likes
Why? I personally like the concept of famous people being involved into the game.
Good thing that they expanded their contracts to allow reactivations.
Because I had never had a chance to play Gary Busey except of a mod once.
Now we have tons of reactivations. On other hand it’s annoying, but they can’t create a new ET (regardless regular or celebrity) every month, and players (newcomers as well) want new content as far as online service concept still alive.
Elusive Target is a great part of new content
Probably I’m mistaken, but the vibe of your message as a whole and this in particular gives me impression that it’s something negative.
It’s great for the studio itself and for the gamers, maybe for some fans. Not everyone’s happy and it’s impossible to make everybody happy with something, but evolution is a good thing.
I hope they always will stick to their original title, aka Hitman and the next game after 007 in development will be next chapter of Agent 47
7 Likes
I’ll play devils advocate, it’s unexpected, original.. looks like a completely reworked map… no offense to the Bruce Lee mission, but only played it once or twice…(and I bought the pack) this seems more replayable.
I get there’s people that don’t like him… well then… take him out .
5 Likes
I’m not a fan of Eminem, but I’m gonna play this wacky mission.
Would love to see a mission in Chongqing during a summers day though since it’s hot like a furnace there then.
4 Likes
Because we already bought the game. They are trying to get new WOA buyers. And because their Financial Report + @Combatglue said so. Not for me to argue.
From IOI’s 2024 Financial Statement:
The celebrity program initiatives for Hitman WOA have been particularly successful. […]Sales related to the back catalogue performed above the sales budgets. […] We have also Hitman part 1 on offer outside the WOA collection now, which has served successfully as a driver for new gamers that then have upgraded to the full WOA collection. The ongoing free celebrity program is helping us to keep a very high activity on monthly basis with players.
I actually agree, but reactions are mixed with the hardcore crowd here. We are a very small part of the full crowd though. I find ETs silly and entertaining.
It being more “games as a service”, microtransaction is part of the reaction here. Don’t mind it that much yet. Being wacky is another side of it.
As someone who care deeply about the Hitman lore, I just placed ET’s on an alternate timeline/universe right from The Forger in 2016. Too much cognitive dissonance with 47 going back to past crime scenes, on the same night, with the same targets etc.
So no problem there.
No I’m more neutral. I don’t hate on things just because they’re more successful. But my final judgement of IO 2025 rests on how good First Light is.
3 Likes
The vast majority is actually excited and hyped for this fyi
9 Likes
I don’t follow your argument, that the celebrity ETs are not intended for people, who have already played Hitman for a long time. You mention IOI’s intentions to attract new people and in that regard you are certainly correct. But that doesn’t mean, that this is IOI’s only intention. Surely, they also create new ETs with the idea in mind to give existing players something new to play around with. Celebrity ETs from IOI’s perspective are probably a good compromise to update the game with new content, while also making it financially viable for them.
Whether IOI suceed in entertaining both exisiting as well as new players is a different story. We will see how that works out in December.
Personally, I don’t need to have celebrites in the video games, that I play.
For example, I had a lot of fun with the Bruce Lee ET. But if the main character had not been modelled after Lee, but had been a completely new character, then I would’ve been equally happy. However, I did enjoy The Banker ET and mostly because it mirrored Casino Royale closely. While I’m not a huge rap music fan, I am still looking forward to the Eminem ET. Not because it’s Eminem, but because it’s a new mission and hopefully an exciting one.
1 Like
I think what @Fleur is trying to say is: when IOI sits down to come up with the next celebrity they can get on board to join the game, they aren’t thinking “how much will the long-time Hitman fans enjoy this.” They’re thinking: “how many people who’ve never heard of our game, or just never desired to play it, will now want to because they’re big fans of this celebrity we’re signing up.” And frankly, I agree. And while I don’t personally have an issue with that, or even really the payable DLC, the fact that they keep plowing ahead with adding more stuff to the game instead of fixing the numerous problems that still exist, on top of the new problems that pop up each time they add new content, is what’s pissing me off.
15 Likes
Bringing celebrities into the game was bound to be controversial. No one likes everyone and there are celebrities that each of us like or admire and there those that we don’t like or even actively dislike for whatever reason. A celebrity like Eminem is certainly well known and he has his fans (and his detractors). Even those with as many issues as Connor McGregor or Gary Busey have their fans.
I applaud IOI for the concept, even if I don’t agree with all of their choices. They are getting people into the game who might not otherwise play just to be able to experience the celebrity. I had never heard of whoever The Drop was (I don’t even remember his name). Sean Bean I knew. Bruce Lee I knew. Connor McGregor I’d heard of but I never watched any sort of fighting so I was not very familiar. Van Damme I was familiar with but I had completely forgotten all about him since his movies in the 90s. Eminem I know (even if I don’t like his music, I know who he is). Like the celebrities or not, IOI has done a fairly decent job of bringing in targets from a lot of different genres (music, fighting, movies, etc.).
At the end of the day, new content is new content. If we, personally, don’t like a celebrity, there’s nothing stopping us from playing the level like it’s just some other anonymous character and ignoring the celebrity portion of it. I don’t have to like Eminem to play the Eminem level (and probably enjoy the game play, regardless). It’s not like there will be a mandatory “you must listen to this rap song” portion of the level…
7 Likes
I really enjoy this new stuff. And I haven’t had a game breaking problem in a long time. Honestly: I don’t care about a clipping tie or a starting point in Freelancer that doesn’t work. That’s just cosmetics (I’ve never used another starting point than the basement anyway, it’s the closest after selecting a mission). Not saying there aren’t problems worth solving. But I don’t consider a floating invite (Marrakesh) as a bug. It’s just a bit ugly.
I understand your concerns and don’t want to downplay them. Over the years, I’ve also invested a lot of money and time in the game and wish it were perfect. Still, I’d rather have some new content than things I can overlook.
5 Likes
I think this looks great, personally. For me I’m one of THOSE fans of Em, the ones who think he hasn’t done anything good since Relapse, but I have friends who are still Eminem fans and they’re excited for this and I am too because it seems like it’ll be a cool concept. I think it’ll be inside Em’s head and involve killing Shady multiple times (multiple Shadies?) while not killing Em sort of like the Bruce Lee target mixed with JCVD
But what people don’t realize is how big Em still is. He’s like Sonic: cultural peak near the start of career, sure, with a drop in quality that’s led to the main output (games for Sonic, albums for Em) being spotty at best, but the brand of Em is still going strong. Just like how Sonic sells billions in merch, Em is recognized even by people who don’t know his music. Even if it’s from Fortnite and Mom’s Spaghetti memes
Not to go below the belt but it’s stunningly ironic for someone who’s hanging off Yahtzee, a guy who’s been doing the same format of video content since the Bush era, talking about doing something 20 years past its relevancy
If this and Tyrone Magnus is who’s bringing the most criticism to the collab I think IO will do fine
4 Likes
When I say CelebETs are not for us, I am being a bit hyperbolic of course. They are for us as well, but I just don’t think we are the main focus. They just saw that it worked getting new players and they kept it going.
Going by the HMF-feedback alone, they would have shut down the CelebETs a long time ago. This is not the case, because their full numbers tell a much different story.
Here is @Combatglue on the topic of ETs last year. Even if he is a community manager, it highlights IO’s mindset with these targets:
4 Likes
I hate it either way. Since I am not an Eminem fan or even like his music, I do not know of the alternative personality, edgy thing he was going for with Slim Shady. I always took it as distasteful and lazy writing is what is, good writing. Maybe it was his old world, maybe it was an act. If Elton is fine, good for him.
I’m more than fine with the celebrETs.
I’m even delighted for IOI.
And always at least intrigued, and frequently finding myself loving what they do.
The only threshold I give is the one they crossed with McGregor.
Then I am relentless about it, as I was then.
Anything above it, and they kept above it, is ok with me.
Even the FOMO, even the delisting.
I’m principled, not running around with a soapbox.
As for what @Fleur said.
We can like the celebrETs, but our involvement is accidental.
The essence is to attract and signal the game.
I think the issue for IOI is that they never recovered form the loss of good will from Year 4.
5 Likes
I’m fine with knowing he’s not like that. That it was just a persona or an act. I don’t need my celebrities to be role models. They are a fantasy and that’s why they are so much fun.
3 Likes