Hitman’s letting you hunt Slim Shady in December — yes, Eminem’s involved, but there’s a catch

Eminem in Hitman sounds like a stunt – here’s why this one actually matters

Hitman World of Assassination is getting a surprise collab that somehow makes perfect sense: from December 1-31, a free Elusive Target called “Eminem vs. Slim Shady” drops across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (Cloud). The hook is more than a cameo. Eminem and longtime manager Paul Rosenberg actually helped write the mission, and the target isn’t the rapper himself – it’s Slim Shady, his chaos-loving alter ego. That twist turns a celebrity crossover into something far more Hitman: a meta contract where Agent 47 is literally hired by Eminem to kill the persona that made him famous.

• Free Elusive Target runs Dec 1-31 for all owners, including the Starter Pack.
• Co-written with Eminem and Paul Rosenberg; set in a reimagined Popsomp Hills Asylum in Hokkaido.
• Classic one-shot pressure with creative kills nodding to Eminem’s catalog (yes, “Mom’s Spaghetti” shows up).
• Optional $4.99 cosmetics pack; plus a Slim Shady Season with events, challenges, and returning Elusive Targets.

Breaking down “Eminem vs. Slim Shady”

IO Interactive is remixing Hokkaido into Popsomp Hills Asylum – a surrealist spin of wards, therapy rooms, and a broadcast studio where Slim Shady runs unhinged live performances. It’s very Hitman to take a pristine location and inject it with a pop-culture fever dream, and this one leans into Eminem’s recent “The Death of Slim Shady” era. Expect environmental storytelling, crowd chaos, and plenty of interactive props: microphones, speakers, and, of course, a certain notorious pasta that doubles as a poison delivery system if you’re feeling theatrical.

The target patrols multiple zones — studio, group sessions, kitchens, labyrinthine corridors — with beefed-up vigilance. In practical terms, think tight routes, lots of witnesses, and heightened alert behavior if you blow your cover. This is an Elusive Target, so the tension is real: fail, and you’re waiting until IOI brings it back someday. If you’ve played The Undying (Sean Bean) or the Gary Busey vs. Gary Cole community contract back in 2016, you know the vibe: familiar spaces recontextualized by a high-profile personality and a bespoke set of kill opportunities.

What caught my attention is how the concept aligns with Hitman’s core fantasy instead of fighting it. Agent 47 isn’t photobombing a concert. He’s infiltrating an institution where Slim Shady is literally “weaponizing” performance to manipulate people — pure IOI playground. You can imagine the classic paths: disguise as staff, sabotage a mixing board for a clean “accident,” or orchestrate a pasta-based poison plot while a crowd chants. It’s silly on the surface, but in the Hitman sandbox, silly often becomes deadly smart.

Celebrity targets aren’t new to Hitman — but this is the boldest yet

Hitman has history here. The community-voted Gary Busey contract and Sean Bean’s iconic The Undying proved that a famous face can elevate an Elusive Target if there’s narrative buy-in and bespoke design. Eminem vs. Slim Shady goes a step further by making the conflict internal and self-aware. It’s not “kill a celebrity”; it’s “help the celebrity kill the persona.” That’s a smarter, more respectful angle than the usual brand mash-up, and it gives IOI license to build puzzles around lyrics, imagery, and fan in-jokes without breaking immersion.

The timing makes sense, too. IOI is deep into Project 007, but World of Assassination remains their living platform. A month-long Slim Shady Season with events, challenges, and returning Elusive Targets keeps veterans checking in and newcomers sampling the game’s best trick — social stealth chaos — for free. If you bounced off Hitman years ago, this is a low-friction way back in.

The catch: FOMO, monetization, and platform quirks

Elusive Targets are thrilling precisely because they’re stressful. They’re also the most FOMO-laden content in modern Hitman. One run, one outcome, one month. If you’re new, do a recon pass: watch the route, learn the timings, and bring a quiet exit plan. The mission is free for all editions (even the Starter Pack), which is huge — no paywall to play. There is a $4.99 cosmetic pack with an Eminem outfit, themed items, and safehouse decor. It’s an upsell, not pay-to-win, but still worth flagging if you’re allergic to microtransactions.

Platform-wise, the spread is wide: PC (Steam/Epic), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, last-gen Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch via Cloud. If you’re going the Cloud route, test your connection before your “one and done” attempt — input lag can turn a clean silent assassin run into a panic sprint. And remember: Hitman progression relies on online connectivity, so don’t start a run if your internet’s wobbling.

Why this matters now

We’ve seen a lot of crossovers in games, most of them loud, forgettable brand soup. This one feels different because it uses Hitman’s strengths — observation, timing, creative murder — to poke at a piece of pop culture without breaking the fiction. IOI’s best seasonal content has always remixed legacy levels into playful, high-stakes sandboxes (Holiday Hoarders in Paris, Patient Zero’s Hokkaido riff). Popsomp Hills looks like the next entry in that tradition.

If this lands, I’d love to see IOI keep exploring personality-driven targets that fit the universe, not just slot another billboard into a map. Do it sparingly, do it with authorship — exactly like putting Eminem and Rosenberg in the writers’ room — and it becomes event TV for stealth nerds. Do it too often, and it becomes background noise. For December, at least, I’m leaning optimistic.

TL;DR

Hitman’s December Elusive Target is a free, month-long mission where Agent 47 helps Eminem take down Slim Shady in a reimagined Hokkaido asylum. It’s clever, authored, and classic Hitman pressure with a light cosmetic upsell. Plan your run, don’t eat the spaghetti, and mind the clock.