The future of Hitman, according to IO Interactive

With Hitman Absolution now on sale, IO Interactive, the Danish developer responsible for the Hitman games as well as Mini Ninjas and Kane & Lynch, has been talking about where the series will go next.

A new Hitman game is already in development, but this time it's being put together by Square Enix's new Montreal studio rather than IO. Speaking with Official PlayStation Magazine, Absolution's director, Tor Blystad, reckons that's a good thing.

"We've been talking about these similarities to some of the big movie franchise like Aliens, where everyone's doing it their own way," he says. "Every time someone gets their hands on a franchise they do something different. So rather than doing the same thing again you get another take on the character from a fresh perspective.

He acknowledges that changing the core mechanics of a game can be too much, but reassures fans that IO hasn't washed its hands of Agent 47. "There are talks between us and of course it has to be somewhat in sync but it's the first time you could say Hitman has gone out of the house," he explains. "Luckily it's with someone we know. Some of the key developers came from IO and have been working on previous games so it's not like it's in completely new hands".

Hitman Absolution, the first new game in the assassination stealth saga since Blood Money in 2006, is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.