New Grasshopper title Killer is Dead due 2013

Shadows of the damned and Lollipop Chainsaw developer Grasshopper Manufacture has announced its latest project - Killer is Dead.

Despite the title, Siliconera reports the game is not a sequel to Grasshopper's classic Killer 7.

That said, the new game does have some elements in common with past Grasshopper games, reportedly blending the gameplay of Killer 7 and No More Heroes. Action is swordplay-based, but will feature "new elements" which are yet to be detailed.

The game will be better revealed in this week's Famitsu, but early leaks of the magazine report the player takes the role of a "condemned" man and that the game has something of an espionage theme, showing the "dark side of James Bond" and featuring several beautiful women.

Killer is Dead is expected in 2013 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Grasshopper Manufacture is headed by the inimitable Goichi Suda. Its best-known releases are Flower, Sun and Rain; Killer 7; No More Heroes; the sadly under-appreciated Shadows of the Damned; and the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw. It is also responsible for Sine Mora and Black Knight Sword through collaborations with western developers, and Kinect title Diabolical Pitch.

Image from No More Heroes.