https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2018-hitman-2-is-more-hitman-episodes-whether-i/1100-6459813/

For such a radical change in the formula, 2016's Hitman burrowed itself into the fan consciousness as the new paradigm for the series going forward. The episodic format turned many skeptical diehards turned into true-believers, which must have made the announcement of a traditional release model for Hitman 2 jarring. Still, creative director Christian Elverdam told GameSpot at E3 2018 that the experience taught them some valuable lessons that will impact the sequel, with or without episodes.

"I think we convinced a lot of people that episodic really worked," he said. "The feedback we got was that episodic forced you to go into each level and really go into all the details, which I thought personally was a big victory. We were going with a sandbox formula, so it was pretty important for us that people really understand. If you just go in, maybe shoot the guy, and say 'okay I finished Miami,' you wouldn't really get it, because you need to take in all the details."