Square Enix has announced they're opening a new studio in Montreal alongside Eidos Montreal that will focus on creating a brand new Hitman game. Square Enix Montreal will open in 2012 and create 150 jobs for people looking to build AAA games for tomorrow's audiences. The studio will be lead by Lee Singleton, who brings over 20 years of studio management to the role.

Currently there are no details on what this new Hitman game will be about, but I'd say it's safe to assume that this will be the first next-gen iteration of the series. This also means that there are now two Square Enix studios working on Hitman games: Square Enix Montreal and IO Interactive who's working on Hitman Absolution.

• NEWS: Hitman: Absolution Will Reward Players For Going With Pure Stealth

But according to Lee Singleton, the two studios will be working together. "Square Enix Montreal will work in step with IO Interactive so we can both contribute great games to the Hitman franchise in the future. We will increase the frequency of game releases, but we have no plans to migrate the franchise to Montreal in its entirety," he said.

SE is also expanding Eidos-Montreal, the studio behind the extremely successful Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The expansion will add state-of-the-art facilities, including in-house audio recording and motion tracking studios and a mini-theater. It will also open up 100 new jobs.

“We believe in creating studios where passion for our games and gaming runs throughout and Eidos-Montréal is testament to this vision. The start up of a second studio brings a huge advantage to our business; we will nurture two separate studios with their own strengths, culture and appeal,” said Phil Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe. “All of this has been made possible by our fantastic partners in Invest Quebec and Montréal International and we look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with them.”

What do you want to see out of a next-gen Hitman game?

Source: Eurogamer