Hitman 3 Acknowledges Coronavirus In Throwaway Line

Hitman 3 might be a game about assassinating the depraved rich in increasingly creative ways, but Agent 47 isn’t the only silent killer lurking around its baroque levels. As discovered by Kotaku, Hitman 3 contains a throwaway line that acknowledges the existence of the real-world coronavirus pandemic, which throws the world of the game into stark relief.

In the game’s Dubai level, your target Carl Ingram may say the following line: “I bet the people with coronavirus get more tranquility than this.” As Hitman 3 players know, this makes the lavish parties and social events in the game even more suspect: They’re clearly in violation of social distancing guidelines, with no masks to be seen. Let’s hope they’ve all been vaccinated.

Hitman 3 isn’t the only game to mention coronavirus to come out in the year-plus since the outset of the pandemic. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla made headlines for including a note that mentions COVID-19 in one of the game’s modern-day segments. Considering that people are playing video games a lot more since the outbreak of COVID-19, it’s unclear if people want to be reminded of the dismal reality we’re living in in their popular entertainment. Still, these are small mentions, so they’re not exactly hitting you over the head with it.