Back in May, IO Interactive announced the development of a new mode for Hitman 3 known as the Freelancer mode. This new mode would essentially allow players to play a new roguelike mode which allows players to engage in a new way of playing Hitman 3 with roguelike elements, strategic planning, and a customizable safehouse.

　　Fast-forward to today, and Io has given us news regarding this elusive mode which has been delayed previously. First off, the mode is closer to completion than ever, and the developers of the game want to test the waters before release. Thus, select Hitman 3 players will be able to jump into a Closed Technical Test where they'll be able to test the Freelancer mode.

　　According to IO Interactive, the test exists to put Hitman 3's servers under stress to prepare for the mode's launch. They also want to gather some feedback on player behavior to do some economy / XP balancing in a real-life scenario on a big scale. Players who get access to the mode will be able to try out the core elements of the mode next month.

　　And yes, this, unfortunately, means that the Freelancer launch has been delayed once again. IO Interactive announced this delay with a new Road to Freelancer roadmap that will essentially tell the updates leading up to the mode's full release. Currently, the developers have confirmed that they plan to release Freelancer as a free update in January 2023.

　　As for when we'll hear about the Freelancer mode again? Well, IO Interactive provided a schedule for the updates:

　　Today: Road to Freelancer #1October 6: 3.130 Patch & October Roadmap:October 27: Road to Freelancer #2November: Closed Technical Test + Road to Freelancer #3December: More ‘Road to Freelancer’ articlesJanuary 2023: Freelancer Mode ReleaseHitman 3 is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Stadia, and Switch (via the Cloud). The Freelancer Closed Technical Test will be available on Steam. We'll hear more details on October 27 regarding when the test will start, how to access it, what's available in it, and how long it can be played. So, make sure to stay tuned as these details come up.