The developer of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded released a "major" patch alongside a statement admitting the game "has not met our own high expectations".
Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is a Quest 3 exclusive, though a previous Hitman 3 VR was released for the original PlayStation VR in 2021, and the PC version of Hitman 3 got VR support two years ago in a patch.
The PlayStation VR and PC VR versions of Hitman 3 were criticized for feeling flatscreen derivative and not taking advantage of VR. The Quest 3 port was contracted out to a third-party studio, XR Games, that claimed they would make significant changes and redesign the game for VR.
But when the game launched on Thursday it emerged that these claimed VR redesign changes were few and far between. Further, the graphics were rough, with our review and many others comparing it to a PS2 game - especially disappointing given this is a Quest 3 exclusive that apparently can't run on Quest 2.
Callum Self
Now, four days later, XR Games has acknowledged that the game "has not met our own high expectations", and the company just shipped a patch with a focus on fixing the lowest-hanging fruit of the game's visual issues.
Here's the full statement from XR Games:
To our players,
First of all, we at XR Games would like to thank everyone for the support and enthusiasm shown for the launch of HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded. This has been a passion project for us, and our goal was to provide an exceptional untethered VR experience for HITMAN and VR players on Meta Quest 3.
Since the launch we have been carefully listening to all your feedback, and we acknowledge that the initial release has not met our own high expectations. As such, our teams have been working diligently to identify issues and implement fixes as soon as possible, to allow our players to enjoy the game to its fullest potential.
As part of our efforts to improve the game, we can already share a list of changes and fixes that will be implemented today through a patch, available now. We are committed to improving the game to achieve the level of quality it deserves and will keep you updated on the availability of new patches.
Once again, we want to share our appreciation to all of you who supported us during this launch, and our dedication to taking into account your feedback to enhance your gaming experience.
We will keep you informed about more updates as we continue to address the raised issues, and we encourage players to report any issues in the HITMAN channel in the XR Games Discord which you can find at bit.ly/XRGdiscord.
Sincerely,
XR Games
And here are the release notes for the patch, which is out now:
Major Additions and Changes:
• Significant improvements to LOD popping (adjusted LOD distance — world elements will appear from further away)
• Added stabilizer for the sniper rifle while aiming down sights
• Increased crowd sizes and cull distances
• Fixed Dartmoor Library agency pickup
Small Tweaks:
• Adjusted lighting to better balance light in dark areas
• Data Core Chamber area brightened [Chongqing]
• Outdoor area brightened [Final Test]
• Gun no longer visible in the left hand while dragging bodies
• Adjusted the grip on multiple Sword type weapons to better match player’s hand position
• Reduced animation slicing for distance NPCs and crowds
Fixes:
• Fixed occluders in all levels to reduce issues with flickering, floating, and invisible environment elements
• Fixed assets in all levels to remove Z-fighting and gaps in environments
• Fixed holes in different areas of the terrain geo as well as floating assets
• Bikes no longer clip into the ground [Berlin]
• The 'Yuzhong Square' Neon sign renders correctly [Chongqing]
• The Microphone Asset in the center of the Asado now displays [Mendoza]
• Improved textures in all levels
• Water textures added to Carpathian Mountains
• Texture displays when shooting bullets while flashbanged
• VR pointers no longer appear behind UI in certain options
• Fixed possible crash when exiting to main menu through pause menu when cinematic is playing
• Cinematics now play on first-time selection of Mendoza and Chongqing
• Window frame assets now display in both eyes from a mid-far proximity
• Player can no longer see items they hold when entering the “Dance with Diana” mission exit [Mendoza]
• Completing "The Final Test" now plays "Call Me 47" cutscene
• Environment no longer clips through the train floor [Carpathian Mountains]
• Selecting 'Continue Story' after completing mission from loaded save will now play cinematic
• Adjusted light emission and VFX in all levels
• Antique Cannon smoke VFX corrected [Mendoza]
• Torches have correct light emission VFX [Berlin]
• Improved VFX for water bottle explosions
• Added water VFX to fountain [Dubai]
While the patch shows XR Games focusing on visual issues, there are notably no mentions of added or improved VR interactions. XR Games claims it is "committed to improving the game to achieve the level of quality it deserves", and we'll keep a close eye on Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded to see if that claim pans out.
