Seán McLoughlin, known online as Jacksepticeye, is now a target in Hitman. The creator has been added to the game as an elusive target, available for free starting from the day of the update, and players have until November 25 to track him down and take him out.
McLoughlin is not playing himself. He is voicing and portraying a character he describes as a "flanderized" version of content creators, particularly those in the so-called manosphere. According to the source, the character draws on the style of controversial online figures such as Jake Paul, Andrew Tate and divisive podcasters, which gives Agent 47 an unusual environment to operate in.
In an interview with IGN, McLoughlin said the project began with a pitch from IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series. He said he had played many of the Hitman games, which likely brought him to the studio's attention, and that the two sides had discussed working together for some time before scheduling conflicts delayed the project. The studio was busy with 007 First Light, which made the timing difficult.
McLoughlin said he asked the team to create a fictional version of himself rather than appear as himself. He described the writers and level designers as highly collaborative, saying the developers asked what dialogue he wanted changed and made sure he was comfortable with the result. He said he was already a fan of the studio's work and trusted the team, and that the dialogue they wrote was funny enough that he agreed immediately.
Asked whether he is essentially a content creator worthy of Agent 47's crosshairs, McLoughlin said the character is deliberately insufferable and that players will want to shoot him as soon as they find him. He noted that the game's logic applies: in Hitman, a kill has to have a reason. He also said the mission includes a good deal of online slang, and he was surprised to hear lines of that kind delivered around Agent 47, with David Bateson, the longtime voice of the character, responding after a "looksmaxing" phrase.
McLoughlin also described what he learned about how Hitman levels are built. The thing that surprised him most, he said, was how quickly the team works. Some lines were changed during recording, and the game's systems branch in many directions depending on what the player does, including throwing objects or interacting with non-target characters. He said the modular design required a large amount of coverage to be recorded, and that the team's ability to make it all work together was impressive. He added that the developers receive less credit than they deserve for what he called a very difficult task.
McLoughlin is also producing an animated Bloodborne film, has released a comic book and runs a coffee company, according to the source. The Hitman update that adds him to the game is available now, with the elusive target challenge open through November 25.