Agent 47 is about to come out of hiding when Hitman: Absolution launches this November.

The story sees contract killer Agent 47 betrayed by his former handlers and slap bang in the middle of a conspiracy.

“He’s relying on other sources of information this time, but he’s also very much on his own. On one level you could say he’s more vulnerable.” said Gameplay Director Christian Elverdam at this year’s Eurogamer Expo.

“But on the other hand he’s also way more powerful than he’s ever been before because he’s making his own decisions.”

47 is also more lethal than he’s ever been before, a new 'Instinct' view allows the Agent to stalk targets and predict their patrol routes.

Instinct also has some non-stealth applications, like slow-motion aiming that lets you paint targets before unleashing a hail of bullets.

Hitman’s developers, IO Interactive, have also broken new ground for the series with a competitive Contracts mode.

Elverdam explained: “What’s different from the normal way of playing is that every character has a little mark, a little symbol, then if you mark them and eliminate them they’ll be targets in your own personal hit.”

Your individual hit can then be shared, challenged and bested by other online players around the world.

Contracts mode looks set to keep 47 busy and the blood money rolling in.