Entertainment · Gaming · 20 hrs ago
IO Interactive hand-crafts Hitman targets instead of using scans
IO Interactive hand-crafts the likenesses of celebrities and public figures featured as Elusive Targets in Hitman: World of Assassination.
The studio says it does not use scans or motion capture to make these characters.
Artists study photos and videos for hours before drawing concepts and building each character.
They also carefully create textures, including details such as freckles and skin marks, to make a character recognizable.
A realistic 3D model alone may not look like the person, so artists balance realism with caricature, the studio says.
The work shapes how players recognize these special targets in the game’s missions.
For the new Elusive Target mission The Host, featuring YouTuber JackSepticEye, the studio also described how its level designer and writer take over once a public figure agrees to take part.
IO Interactive creates Hitman World of Assassination’s Elusive Targets by hand rather than using scans.
Senior level designer Marin Ansdal said each character starts with a hand-drawn concept and is modelled and textured by a character artist.
Junior concept and character artist Lovisa Österman said she spends hours studying videos and photos before designing a target.
The studio says accurate likeness depends on details such as textures, freckles, spots and flaws.
The comments came in an interview about the new Elusive Target mission The Host, starring YouTuber JackSepticEye.
- Who
- IO Interactive, including senior level designer Marin Ansdal and junior concept and character artist Lovisa Österman.
- What
- The studio hand-crafts Elusive Target characters rather than relying on scans.
- When
- The article was published on 2026-11-07. The interview’s date is not stated.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The studio says studying references and crafting details such as textures helps make characters look like the people they portray.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Österman studies videos and photos of the person for hours.
The character receives a hand-drawn concept, then a character artist models and textures it.
TechRadar published its interview about IO Interactive’s approach to creating Elusive Targets.
- Game
- Hitman World of Assassination
- Target type
- Elusive Targets
- Design approach
- Hand-drawn concepts, modelling and texturing; no scans
- Interview subject
- Marin Ansdal, senior level designer
- New mission
- The Host, starring YouTuber JackSepticEye
What people are saying
Like many things in Hitman, it’s down to bespoke craftsmanship – we do not rely on scans at all
I spend hours pouring over videos and photos of the talent to really understand what their face looks like from every angle. And a heavy lifter is getting the textures right
You can have the 3d mesh completely right and still not feel like it looks like the person. Because you really need the textures, the person's freckles and spots and flaws to really recognize them