Hitman: Absolution developer IO Interactive announced that the voice actor David Bateson would return to voice Agent 47 in the new game.
Bateson has voiced the character since 2000, and has provided physical guide of Agent 47 and served as the character model in every entry in the series. He was not originally slated to reprise the role and William Mapother of "Lost"performed the motion capture work for Agent 47 in Absolution.
After IO interactive made the announcement of Bateson's return, Brand Director Jon Brooke commented on the studio's Facebook page that the studio was playing hard to get, but ultimately IO and Bateson have a long running business relationship.
"IO and Bateson have been bed fellows for over a decade and like all long running relationships sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonde,r" Brooke wrote. "Looking back I think we were just playing hard to get."
Hitman: Absolution has an impressive list of talent associated with the stealth game, including Marsha Thomason, Keith Carradine, Vivica Fox, Shannyn Sossamon and Powers Boothe.
The game features new game play mechanics like "instinct mode" which will allow 47 to predict enemy patrol routes, much like the 'sonar vision' that was featured in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction and "detective mode" in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
The plot of the game is set around Agent 47's personal journey through a corrupt and twisted world, in his search for the truth. Absolution will take place within the United States.
Hitman: Absolution will launch globally on November 20, 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Watch the game's trailer below...