Hitman: World of Assassination Switch 2 port to receive performance fixes this summer

IO Interactive has acknowledged the performance issues affecting Hitman: World of Assassination on the Nintendo Switch 2. The launch title was expected to showcase the handheld’s raw graphical power.

Instead, the game’s Switch 2 port has been criticized for unstable performance. In response, IO assured fans that it's actively working on addressing the performance issues.

In a recent interview with VGC, IO’s franchise director, Jonathan Lacaille, tackled concerns regarding the game’s port. He stated:

“The team is working on some of those performance issues right now, and they are addressing them over the summer.” However, Lacaille did not provide a specific release window for future patches.

Moreover, he reassured Switch 2 owners regarding the development of their upcoming game, 007 First Light, for the Switch 2, stating that lessons learned from Hitman: World of Assassination’s performance issues will translate to improvements in their next title. Lacaille further stated:

“It’s, of course, good learning for us to bring First Light as well, so all of this will be learnings we bring to the next title.”

It seems that IO is doubling down on delivering a solid native experience on the Switch 2, which is a stark contrast to their earlier cloud-based approach for Hitman 3 on the original Nintendo Switch.

Discussing IO’s motivations for natively porting Hitman: World of Assassination to the Nintendo Switch 2, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak stated the previous cloud version “wasn’t as successful as Nintendo had expected,” and felt there was “unfinished business” to be dealt with. Abrak further stated:

“There are also various Hitman modes that lend themselves really well for a platform like Switch 2. We thought we had a game that was very compatible with playing on the go, and that we owed our players to deliver that in a native way on the platform.”

It’s not the first time IO Interactive has faced difficulties in the performance department. Recently, the company’s publication of MindsEye was met with widespread criticism due to technical issues, prompting full refunds for PlayStation 5 owners despite the platform’s policy preventing reimbursement for downloaded games.

With a summer patch promised for Hitman: World of Assassination, Switch 2 owners can look forward to a more polished experience. Moreover, IO’s statement regarding 007 First Light suggests that the studio is working hard to bring high-quality native titles capable of fully utilizing the Switch 2’s hardware potential.