Third Party

A dark return to the past where Agent 47 relives his deadliest contracts while fighting for survival in a Paris hotel under siege.

Hitman: Contracts, released in 2004 by Eidos Interactive and developed by IO Interactive, is the third main installment in the Hitman series. It blends remastered missions from Hitman: Codename 47 with new flashbacks experienced by Agent 47 after he is critically wounded in Paris. The title was developed on a tight schedule, splitting IO Interactive into two teams to also work on Blood Money simultaneously. It launched across Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, eventually selling around 2 million copies by April 2009 before being re-released as part of the Hitman HD Trilogy in January 2013.

Quick Facts

Release date (north america)

20 April 2004

Release date (uk)

30 April 2004

Release date (australia)

13 May 2004

Release date (japan)

14 October 2004

Platforms

Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox

Lore & Background

The narrative is framed by events on 17 March 2004. After being shot by corrupt GIGN officer Albert Fournier during a mission in Paris for the International Contracts Agency (ICA), Agent 47 retreats to his hotel room. As tear gas fills the space and GIGN officers prepare to storm in, 47 reflects on his history. He recalls escaping the asylum after killing Dr. Otto Ort-Meyer and executing various contracts: assassinating a cannibalistic serial killer and his associate in Bucharest, killing a black marketeer and his associates in Kamchatka, eliminating a corrupt nobleman and son in England, taking out a biker crime lord in Rotterdam, and murdering all four of his genetic fathers—Arkadij Jegorov, Frantz Fuchs, Lee Hong, and Pablo Belisario Ochoa—alongside Ort-Meyer.

An ICA doctor performs emergency surgery but flees when GIGN arrives, leaving 47 to survive alone until he escapes the hotel to kill Fournier.

Reader's Guide

In Hitman: Contracts, players control Agent 47 from a third-person perspective, utilizing a context-sensitive action system where one button performs multiple functions like peeking through keyholes or dragging bodies. Stealth is encouraged but optional; players can engage in violent gunfights using weapons ranging from kitchen knives to belt-fed machine guns. Performance is rated by shots fired, NPCs killed (distinguishing between innocents and adversaries), and guard alerts.

The lowest rank, 'Mass Murderer,' results from indiscriminate killing, while the highest, 'Silent Assassin,' requires completing missions without detection or unnecessary deaths. A 'Suspicion Meter' tracks cover integrity; running indoors, brandishing weapons, or sneaking raises suspicion. Disguises can be acquired from male NPCs but may fail if the player lacks matching equipment (e.g., a shotgun) or performs suspicious actions like lock-picking.

Did You Know?

The soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd, was nominated for the 'Best Original Music' award at the 2005 BAFTA Games Awards but did not win.
Specific licensed songs appear in levels, including Paul Anka's 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder' in Level 2 and Clutch's 'Immortal' in Level 5.