Arkane's new game 'Dishonored' announced

Arkane Studios was working on a new game when it was acquired by Bethesda parent company ZeniMax last August, and now we finally know a little about it. The maker of Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic has been busy working on Dishonored.

Very few details are offered, with Bethesda simply describing it as "an all-new first-person action game." However, Game Informer magazine, which features Dishonored as its August cover game, elaborates a little, describing it more excitingly as a "first-person stealth/action adventure."

Deus Ex lead designer Harvey Smith is creative director on Dishonored with Arx Fatalis lead designer Raphael Colantonio. Arkane has also drafted the artistic eye behind Half-Life 2's stunning dystopian City 17, Viktor Antonov.

Here's how Game Informer describes Dishonored, which sounds a wee bit fantastic:

Dishonored is the antithesis of a edge-of-your-seat roller-coaster ride. It's a game about assassination where you don't have to kill anyone. It's a game about infiltration where you can set up traps and slaughter the entire garrison of an aristocrat's mansion rather than sneak in. It's a game about brutal violence where you can slip in and out of a fortified barracks with nobody ever knowing you were there. It's a game about morality and player choice where the world you create is based on your actions, not navigating conversation trees.

Dishonored is scheduled for release on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in 2012. The Game Informer issue hits the stands on Monday.

Game Informer's August cover game: Dishonored