IO Interactive has announced the arrival of a surprising new guest star in Hitman World of Assassination, revealing Bruce Lee will join the game for a new Elusive Target mission. The late star, most-known for his genre-defining roles in action and martial arts films of the 1970s, won’t be the target of these missions, thankfully – it would be more than a bit crass. Instead, he’ll work alongside Agent 47 in a specialist adventure.
‘Bruce Lee stars as Agent Lee, an operative aiming to infiltrate the Concord Union, a powerful criminal syndicate based in Hong Kong,’ the mission’s official description reads. ‘The organisation hosts a secretive martial arts tournament, which takes place this time at the Himmapan Hotel in Bangkok. For this occasion, Agent Lee, a legendary martial artist, is back in action and invited to compete. His mission: win the tournament and uncover the identity of the Concord Union’s supreme leader.’
Agent 47’s job is to team up with Bruce Lee to complete various quests aimed at easing his passage into the aforementioned ‘secretive’ martial arts tournament.
‘Bruce Lee will rely on your support to overcome the syndicate’s nefarious tricks and secure his place inside. Victory for him means success for you.’
It seems like a very novel way to honour Bruce Lee’s legacy and impact on the action genre, without having him operate in the usual ‘celebrity bounds’ as a target for assassination. Previously, Hitman World of Assassination has featured celebrities like Gary Busey, Sean Bean, Mads Mikkelsen, and Jean-Claude van Damme either as themselves, or unique characters, to be hunted.
Bruce Lee will headline a new ‘Season of the Dragon’ for Hitman World of Assassination, which will kick off with his Infiltrator Elusive Target mission (available from now until November 20), and continue with various new targets, from The Pharmacist, to The Bad Boy, to The Entertainer, to the Warlord.
There’s also a special Halloween mission kicking off from 30 October, as well as various rewards and DLC you can grab – including a Bruce Lee Pack including a yellow tracksuit, kali sticks, golden scissors, and more.
Hitman World of Assassination – Season of the Dragon mission trailer
While unexpected, the crossover here is brilliant. Bruce Lee is an icon of action cinema, and his legacy should continue to be celebrated well into the future. His arrival is also a very nice twist on the usual celebrity antics in Hitman, and opens the door to future crossovers that perhaps treat their celebrity guests with a bit more care. (Having Gary Busey temporarily in the game as himself was fun, but it did feel odd to be tracking him down to dispatch him.)
More to the point, the overall design of this new mission, and the clear inspiration taken from Bruce Lee’s life and cinematic history, is very novel. In recent months, Hitman World of Assassination has expanded to cross over more into popular culture, with a recent Casino Royale-inspired mission allowing players to explore the world of James Bond in depth.
In future, it’s very possible this aspect of the game is expanded – and we can certainly imagine the possibilities. Keanu Reeves is no stranger to appearing in a video game, and having John Wick on the menu could be grand. There’s so many other great action franchises that could also pop in. For now, it’s unclear if that’s the route IO Interactive plans to continue down for Hitman World of Assassination – but whatever the case, we’re certainly along for the ride.
You can learn more about the latest Bruce Lee-starring Hitman crossover on the IO website.
