Just when we thought IO Interactive had peaked with their celebrity cameos, they have decided to drop perhaps the most “meta” Elusive Target in the history of the franchise.
Coming to Hitman World of Assassination, the newest contract doesn’t just feature a celebrity—it features a civil war between two personas.
Revealed during the November 2025 Xbox Partner Preview, the new mission features a client who knows the target intimately. The client is Eminem. The target is his chaotic, bleach-blond alter ego, Slim Shady.
The Mission: A Battle of Egos
In the reveal, the younger Slim Shady persona has manifested as a “separate, violent entity,” prompting the real Marshall Mathers to hire Agent 47 out of fear that his own creation is coming to kill him.
It appears IO Interactive is fully embracing the meme culture surrounding the rapper. The trailer strongly suggests that Agent 47 will have the opportunity to poison “mom’s spaghetti” to eliminate the target.
Here is the official breakdown of the new location and stakes:
“Set within a medical facility in Hokkaido that has been reconfigured into the chaotic Popsomp Hills Asylum, the mission follows Agent 47 as he infiltrates a surreal environment where doctors, patients, and performers blur into one. Slim Shady has transformed his former operating theatre into a fully equipped broadcasting studio… participating in his evil scheme of weaponizing music.”
What to Expect
Not just a reskin. It sounds like a significant rework of the classic Hokkaido map. Players can look forward to:
A Surreal Environment: A mix of a high-tech medical facility and a chaotic concert venue.
New Objectives: Tracking Shady through recording studios and “Group Training Sessions.”
Thematic Consistency: The mission serves as a digital extension of Eminem’s 2024 concept album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), which also featured the rapper killing off his alter ego.
A Legacy of Stardom
Eminem joins a prestigious (and deadly) list of real-world celebrities who have stepped into the World of Assassination to meet their demise. He follows in the footsteps of Sean Bean (the Undying), Gary Busey, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Conor McGregor.
When Can You Play?
Sharpen your piano wire and prep your fiber cable. The Eminem vs. Slim Shady Elusive Target arrives on December 1 and will be available for a limited window until December 31.
The additional life that these missions give to Hitman, is unreal. And each of these Elusive Targets is always crafted with so much thought and detail.
This one certainly seems a little further removed from reality that generally grounds the game. But that’s no bad thing. I wonder how it’ll pan-out?
