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Agent 47 returns in Square Enix’s newest Hitman

Despite having its own press conference scheduled during the events of E3, Square Enix decided to unveil the next chapter of the Hitman franchise, simply titled Hitman, during Sony’s press conference. Little information was shared during the reveal, though Sony did announce exclusive beta access for PS4 owners, as well as six exclusive contracts native to only the PlayStation 4 version of the game.

A brief teaser trailer of Hitman ran during the reveal, showing off the game’s many gorgeous locales, as well as the franchise’s iconic protagonist. Last seen in 2012’s Hitman: Absolution — aside from a few mobile releases — Agent 47 appears as lethal as always, sporting his iconic handguns. Like usual, it appears 47 has taken to the task of once again ridding the streets of as many morally corrupt individuals as he can, all while donning the perfectly shaved bald head and stylish Italian suit and tie.

HITMAN - E3 2015 Trailer | PS4

The teaser trailer didn’t provide a close look at gameplay. What it did provide was a deep sense of style reminiscent of a trailer for a new TV show. It’ll be interested to see if this translates to a campaign that lays story on thicker than the past, or if it’s simply E3 fluff.

After the press conference, IO Interactive confirmed Hitman would release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on December 8.

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Rick Stella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Square Enix is releasing a free AI-driven mystery game next week
square enix free ai tech preview the portopia serial murder case

As tools like ChatGPT become more powerful and popular in the mainstream, the potential of an advanced AI in a video game that can naturally understand and respond to player instructions has emerged. Now, Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix is testing the waters of this technology with a new, free game launching on Steam next week called Square Enix AI Tech Preview: The Portopia Serial Murder Case.
SQUARE ENIX AI Tech Preview: THE PORTOPIA SERIAL MURDER CASE【English】
Releasing on April 24, this tech preview is based on Enix's 1983 murder mystery adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case. It recreates that game, replacing the restrictive noun- and verb-based commands of the original with an AI partner that players can speak to. Using natural language processing and understanding, that partner will take the player's commands and respond accordingly.
This version of The Portopia Serial Murder Case has the potential to feel less restrictive than the original, as it may understand what the player wants to do even if they don't type in the exact command from the original verbatim. This AI tech preview even supports automatic speech recognition, so players can speak to the AI rather than typing commands if they want. 
One thing it doesn't have is natural language generation to reply to questions that it doesn't have a prewritten response for. Square Enix explains on the game's website that Square Enix AI Tech Preview: The Portopia Serial Murder Case originally did feature this technology, but the developers in its AI Division decided not to include it at release "because there remains a risk of the AI generating unethical replies." However, Square Enix says it might reintroduce this feature to the tech preview "as soon as our research succeeds in creating an environment in which players can enjoy the experience with peace of mind."

Don't expect your AI partner to defy your instructions and tell you that it wants to be human. Still, this is definitely one of the most intriguing uses of advanced language-based AI in a video game yet. Square Enix AI Tech Preview: The Portopia Serial Murder Case will be free to play on April 24 via Steam.

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With E3 2023 gone, other gaming events need to step up
A purple E3 logo floats in the air.

Despite how inevitable the complete downfall of E3 felt over the past several years, E3 2023’s official cancellation still strings as it’s a significant loss for the game industry. For gamers, press, and developers, the show served multiple purposes that digital livestreams and scattered publisher-specific events don't currently replicate. In lieu of E3’s cancelation this year, and potentially forever, it’s time for other gaming events to step up and help push the video game industry forward.
Why we lost E3
I’m lucky enough to have the experience of attending three E3 shows across 2017, 2018, and 2019 and many publisher-run events focused on specific games or tighter game lineups. In its final years, E3 felt like the perfect middle ground to the gamer-focused PAX and industry-focused GDC, where people from all walks and sides of the video game industry could come together, see what’s coming in the future, and share their love for games.

It also felt more freeing than publisher-run events, as I discovered and experienced games of all sizes that I may not have otherwise and got to meet many people from every angle of the game industry. Apparently, the Entertainment Software Association struggled to convince enough people that this style of expo was important four years after the last physical event.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Entertainment Software Association president Stanley Pierre-Louis blamed E3 2023’s cancellation on the Covid-19 pandemic, “economic headwinds” due to the current recession that impacted marketing budgets, and the fact that “companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities.”
The first two are understandable and have impacted a lot of physical events over the past couple of years. Still, the last reason speaks to a bit more worrying of a shift for those looking to network, get attention from the press, get a broader look at the industry’s future, or even pitch a game.
What we lose
Events are a great way for indies to get unexpected and much-needed attention from players and the press; look at the chance encounter that got one of our team’s freelancers hooked on Homeseek at PAX East. Now, indies will have to hope to gain attention at those more indie-focused events like PAX or be cherry-picked to be featured in a more prominent company’s showcasing. There’s also the networking and pitch factor to it.

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E3 2023 has officially been canceled by the ESA and ReedPop
E3 logo

The Entertainment Software Association and ReedPop confirmed that E3 2023 has been canceled following a report that broke the news. E3 2023 was supposed to take place between June 13 and June 16.
Earlier today, IGN reported that two of its sources received an email from the Entertainment Software Association saying that this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo has been canceled because it "simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry." Soon after, a tweet from the official E3 account confirmed that "both the digital and physical events for E3 2023 are canceled."
https://twitter.com/E3/status/1641546610218811393
E3 was once a prominent annual video game industry trade show but has struggled to re-emerge since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. E3 did not take place in 2020 or 2022, and a digital-only attempt at the show in 2021 did not live up to expectations. The ESA was attempting to bring the show back this year with the help of PAX organizer ReedPop, and even approved press passes for the event already, but it appears the developers and publishers have lost faith in E3. Ubisoft pulled out of the show earlier this week after initially committing to be there, while Sega, Bandai Namco Entertainment, and Level Infinite confirmed they wouldn't be there in the following days.
While E3 2023 is not happening, there are going to be many other things for people to look forward to. Geoff Keighley will host a Summer Game Fest show on June 8, Microsoft is holding a Starfield direct and larger showcase on June 11, while Ubisoft will have a Ubisoft Forward Live event in Los Angeles on June 12.

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