Exploration is the factor that pays off in the end, and doing more of that in Hitman 3 will unlock a handy new feature in each of the game’s new levels: Shortcuts.

James Bond may have plenty of time to die now that his latest film has been cast into the deepest pits of release schedule hell, but 007 will be back! In a new video game that is, helmed by none other than Hitman developers IO Interactive. Having spent the last few years crafting intricate sandboxes for Agent 47 to wreak havoc within, IO is perhaps the perfect fit for this project.

The developer shared some fascinating statistics behind the beloved game and teased the future of the franchise.

There's a murder to be solved and executed, when Agent 47 heads to Thornbridge Manor in Hitman III's newly-revealed level.

Multiplayer has been marked for execution, but what remains will create a stronger single-player experience when Hitman 3 arrives in January 2021.

Hitman has always been a morbidly cathartic game, wherein players could become the ultimate spanner and throw themselves into the elegant clockwork mechanisms of the world around them. That thrill for the kill is about to get even more personal, as Hitman 3 will bring PlayStation VR support to the entire trilogy.

IO Interactive is going back to a “more mature, serious, darker” tone for Hitman 3 after the previous game featured more...wacky elements.

During last night’s PlayStation 5 showcase, IO Interactive lifted the veil off of the third installment, which won’t only see Agent 47 engage in his usual lethal business. It’ll be the final chapter in the gigantic saga that the developer has been working on for many a year now.