Hitman

IO Interactive is hard at work on the next game in the popular assassination series, Hitman. Many fans were worried that the series would be relegated to mobile platforms after long expected revival Hitman Absolution didn't live up to publisher Square Enix's expectations, but we are now looking at the very first piece of concept art from its next-gen follow-up.

On the official website, IO explains that the building in the image alone is "larger than any location in Hitman Absolution."

The good news is we're making great progress with building exotic and expansive locations for the new game. To give you an idea of what we're aiming for, here's the first piece of concept art from the game. This location is set in Central Europe and you'll be able to explore the entire building you see in the image, inside and out.

Unfortunately, while the game is making good progress, IO doesn't feel like it has enough finished to show off at E3 this year.

We know the worst thing is to hope for something that doesn't turn up; so we wanted to let you know that our next Hitman is going to be under wraps for a bit longer

That's fine. I still need to get around to finishing Hitman Absolution, so no rush there IO Interactive.

The studio also gave a shout out to everyone who has played Hitman GO on their mobile devices. The mobile game has been getting positive praise, and the developers are already working on a follow up.

Any Hitman fans out there looking forward to the next game? I've enjoyed a few games in the series, sinking most of my time into Blood Money, but I've never been that dedicated of a fan.

I got a lot more mileage out of IO Interactive's underrated and excellent third-person shooter Freedom Fighters on the PlayStation 2. That's a franchise which needs another chance to thrive, but sadly, its mechanics were retooled for the Kane & Lynch games, and its urban warfare setting setting isn't all that unique anymore. Hitman is IO Interactive's best chance of success these days, so while I'm glad it's doing well, it doesn't leave the doors open for other franchises nowadays.