IO Interactive today formally announced Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, the sequel to its million-selling 2007 shooter Kane & Lynch: Dead Men whose existence and name have both been public knowledge for quite some time now.

A press statement boasts "every aspect of the game has been designed to deliver a fresh perspective to the words 'intensity' and 'realism' in video games," with IO Interactive general manager Niels Jorgensen adding, "Gamers are always looking for something new and that is exactly what they are going to get with Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days."

"Introducing a new visual experience," the Hitman developer declares, "Dog Days is inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era" as it probes "the gritty Shanghai underworld." A pair of teaser trailers--included below--offer a distorted security camera perspective, though they of course do not necessarily reflect the game's style.

A Kane & Lynch movie is currently in production, with Bruce Willis set to star as Kane. Dog Days is slated to hit PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010... Read more

Developer Io Interactive (Hitman, Kane & Lynch) is certainly entering new territory with Mini Ninjas, a game that will challenge players to "harness the power of your Kuji magic and utilise the special skills of your Mini Ninja friends."

While providing few gameplay details, Io did release a decent bit of media, which can be viewed below.

Mini Ninjas is coming this fall on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii and Nintendo DS.

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A number of IO Interactive co-founders have left the Eidos-owned Hitman, Freedom Fighter and Kane & Lynch developer to form a new studio under the name of Reto-Moto.

No projects have been announced, though the company noted it is "committed to redefining the online multi-player space."

Among the company's staff are Hitman director Jacob Andersen, previous IO VP David Guldbrandsen, former lead character designer Jesper Vorsholt Jorgensen, and old sound engineering lead Martin Pollas. All were co-founders of IO Interactive.

The four are joined by Neil Donnell, who served as an executive producer at Eidos Interactive.

Originally founded in 1997, Reto-Moto's first act was to create IO Interactive in a joint-venture with Nordisk Film. Publisher Eidos acquired IO in 2004.