Hitman release date and details emerge from the shadows

Hitman is a new game in the long running series, which started on the PC back in 2000 with Hitman Agent 47. Developers IO Interactive are still at the helm of this series, which last gifted us with ultraviolence in 2012's Hitman Absolution.

There's been a bit of confusion around the new game thanks to an unusual release structure which planned to have an initial base game with frequent updates for one set price. That release was delayed, with the promise of more information coming soon. And now we know the things we're supposed to know.

The gist is this:

Hitman will release March 11th 2016.

You'll get three open world locations at launch - Paris, Sapienza and Marrakesh, with six campaign missions. Contracts mode is back, with 800 or so targets to create your own missions.

A new location will be released in April, May and June 2016 - Thailand, the USA and Japan. Each will have plenty of new missions, weapons and unique ways to kill the people you're supposed to kill.

There will also be constant live events and special promotions, curated by IO and with some targets only available for a certain period.

As for pricing, that has been confusing too.

The simplest answer is that you'll get everything for the equivalent of $59.99 - that's the base game in March and all future extras through the (hopefully) long life of the project. You'll also get access to the beta on PS4 and PC in 2016.

IO has also just confirmed an INTRO PACK, which is a different matter. This is for people who aren't sure about the game just yet and costs significantly less at $34.99 and grants access to just that initial burst of content - three maps, Contracts and live events. Mostly the restriction is down to these three locations, so you'll be able to play out those live events forever, so long as they're appearing in Paris, Sapienza and Marrakesh.

If you later feel like you want more Hitman, you can upgrade for $29.99 - so you'll pay a fiver more if you don't invest at the beginning.

It sounds like a pretty good deal, especially as some new games cost 70 quid or more. Of course, you'll first have to decide if you're interested in this stealth murder simulator, but there are plenty of fans who have been looking forward to spending more time with 47.

Hitman comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC on the 11th of March 2016.