Square: Hitman art "does not represent any new game"

Square's dashed rather blatant clues today that everyone's favourite bald murderer's on his way back.

Design firm Great Graphics (via Kotaku and GAF), who's previously worked with Square on Kane & Lynch 2, stuck up some poster art showing Herr 47, some flames and a great big "2011" leading most to assume the obvious.

Not so.

"The concept art was created as part of a portfolio, intended to showcase an artist's style or method of work and does not represent any new Hitman game," Square told VG247 in a statement today.

Danish developer IO has put out four games in the stealth series so far: Hitman: Codename 47 (2000), Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004) and Hitman: Blood Money (2006).

Variety rumoured a fifth title in 2009 for release later this year. Clearly, that's not happening either.

IO is currently working on the imminent launch of Kane & Lynch 2.