IO Interactive has announced that it's releasing a special Hallowe'en-themed DLC pack for Hitman on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 - and it's completely free.

Hitman's free Hallowe'en DLC offering should already be available to download on all platforms, and brings with it a selection of somewhat seasonal tricks and treats. The game's Colorado location is unlocked for everyone, for a limited time, and there are ten new Featured Contracts that IO calls "spooky, creepy or otherwise frightening."

Some, it says, are focussed on disguises (including the sinister scarecrow seen in the trailer below) while others "tell spooky stories through the briefing" and others "are plain mayhem".

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Everyone knows Sean Bean dies in (almost) every film he's in. But now you'll get to kill him yourself - as the first Elusive Target in Hitman 2.

Better known as Boromir, Sharpe or poor old Ned Stark, Sean Bean will appear in Hitman 2 as a former MI5 agent - in a very knowing nod to his classic role as 006 in GoldenEye. "I even managed to make them think I'd been blown up," Trevelyn - sorry, Bean - says in the trailer below:

Elusive Targets are live missions within Hitman only available for a limited amount of time. You can only take on each mission once, ever. If you fail, that's it. No pressure.

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Hitman 2 will release with a brand new 1v1 competitive online multiplayer mode called Ghost Mode.

This is the first time that stealthy slaphead Agent 47 has indulged in any kind of competitive multiplayer, although the recent Sniper Assassin mini-game did offer a taste to series fans.

Ghost Mode pits two players against each other in a race to be the first to take out five targets undetected. Whilst players are given the same targets and are able to see each other in-game, they actually exist in separate instances. This means their actions will not affect the other player's world.

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Not so long ago, IO Interactive unveiled a new location for Hitman 2 in the form of the lush jungles of Colombia. Now, the developer has showcased the area, and the possibilities it affords for stealthy slaughter, in more detail.

According to previous chatter from IO, Hitman 2 will launch will six distinct locations, and the Colombian jungle level, which features the village of Santa Fortuna as its focal point, is only the second to be revealed so far. As you might imagine, it's in sharp contrast to the tires and tarmac of the Miami racing circuit debuted earlier this year - and its dense foliage and shadowy pathways offer an entirely different range of possibilities compared to Miami's urban sprawl.

Santa Fortuna, according to the trailer, is ruled by an "iron-fisted Delgado cartel", and you'll need to penetrate the area's tight security in order to confront the three cartel leaders convening within the village for presumably nefarious purposes. And you can do it while sporting one of the most fetching plastic ponchos ever to grace a video game.

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Not so long ago, IO Interactive unveiled a new location for Hitman 2 in the form of the of the lush Colombian jungle. Now, the developer has showcased the area, and the possibilities it affords for stealthy slaughter, in more detail.

According to previous chatter from IO, Hitman 2 will launch will six distinct locations, and the South American rainforest, which features the village of Santa Fortuna as its focal point, is only the second to be revealed so far. As you might imagine, it's in sharp contrast to the tires and tarmac of the Miami racing circuit debuted earlier this year - and its dense foliage and shadowy pathways offer an entirely different range of possibilities compared to Miami's urban sprawl.

Santa Fortuna, according to the trailer, is ruled by an "iron-fisted Delgado cartel", and you'll need to penetrate the area's tight security in order to confront the three cartel leaders convening within the village for presumably nefarious purposes. And you can do it while sporting one of the most fetching plastic ponchos ever to grace a video game.

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Despite polarising its fanbase with a episodic release structure, Hitman 2016 was a huge favourite of mine. I loved the intricate detail of the environments and the freedom this gave you to experiment with your surroundings. That coupled with the unpredictable nature of the gameplay meant that pulling off elaborate hits was always heart-pounding stuff, especially when your well laid plans crumbled before your very eyes!

Most of all though I loved the elaborate challenges you could take on in order to dispatch your primary targets in weird and wonderful ways.

To that end, I decided to attempt something rather special during my hands-on time with Hitman 2 at this years Gamescom. The Chilli Immolation Challenge is a unique kill that (as far as I'm aware) has never before been captured on video and you can watch me attempt it in the player below.

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IO Interactive has formally unveiled Hitman 2, and it's heading to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on November 13th.

Hitman 2 is a a direct sequel to the developer's 2016 Hitman game, and its story picks up directly where its predecessor left off, closing in on the mysterious Shadow Client. IO notes that Hitman 2 will launch as a complete story, ditching the episodic structure seen in 2016, but will also offer "tonnes and tons of post-launch content" - including the likes of new Escalation Contracts and Elusive Targets.

As is now tradition, Agent 47's latest adventure will take him all across the world (from "sun-drenched streets to dark and dangerous rainforests", says IO), with the developer showcasing a brand-new location as part of its announcement video. Hitman 2 includes a contract set across glorious sun-bleached Miami, which unfurls on the final day of the Global Innovation Race, with thousand of fans gathered to enjoy the show.

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Evidence of a new Hitman game is mounting.

Members of the Hitman forum have been on a wild goose chase following a trail of cryptic ARG clues all pointing towards Hitman and its star, Agent 47. At one point the inquisitive thread-starter was sent a picture showing a script (possibly for a game) on a table and a pair of black leather gloves.

The next clues point to the Berlinale film festival. Given that the trail began with a picture of a box of doughnuts at the Sundance film festival, the link makes sense.

The community expects a reveal at the E3 show in June.

Eurogamer was told, last summer, that a new and fifth Hitman game was being worked on and would be "most likely" released sometime this year.

There hasn't been a Hitman game developed from the ground up for PS3 and Xbox 360. The last game, Blood Money, was ported and upscaled from Xbox to Xbox 360. Eurogamer awarded Hitman: Blood Money 8/10.

Since Blood Money, IO has gone on to make Kane & Lynch - a series that started promisingly but got worse. A return to IO's flagship Hitman IP is long overdue.

Video: Hitman: Blood Money.

The voice actor who plays Agent 47 in the Hitman series has only gone and confirmed the heavily-rumoured Hitman 5.

"I have been overwhelmingly gratified and humbled by the sheer dedication to the Hitman franchise that the fans have expressed," David Bateson said in an interview with The Gaming Liberty.

"For all the kind things that have been said, I am truly thankful. That kind of dedication and appreciation of the game deserves repayment... with an even more gob smacking instalment in Hitman 5. I don't envy IO Interactive for the pressure they must be under to deliver. I am utterly convinced they will!"

This morning Kane & Lynch developer IO Interactive responded to Bateson's comments.
"This is rumour control," it said on its official Twitter account.

"While Bateson's comments are flattering, they are a surprise - we are currently not working on projects with him."

Note IO fails to deny the existence of the game.

This isn't the first we've heard of Hitman 5. In July Eurogamer broke the news that IO was hard at work on the game and that it was set to be released Christmas 2011 at the very earliest.

In the four years since the release of Hitman 4, IO has put out third-person action game Kane & Lynch, its sequel, and cutesy third-person action game Mini Ninjas.

Square Enix told Eurogamer: "It's flattering to see so many fans are eager for another Hitman game. Unfortunately we have nothing to announce at this time."