In a move that might surprise those who have been following the title closely, Square Enix have announced that David Bateson is going to reprise his role as Agent 47 in the upcoming Hitman: Absolution.  Originally the publisher had declared that he would not be voicing the character, but things have changed, as they tend to do in this industry.  Full press release follows after the jump.

August 28, 2012 – IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, today announced the talent behind the role of Agent 47 in HITMAN: ABSOLUTION.

After a long search, IO Interactive are pleased to unveil that the voice of Agent 47 will once again be acted by David Bateson who has been the voice of Hitman since the year 2000 with the seminal PC release of Codename 47.  Alongside Bateson, William Mapother (star of hit TV series LOST) has performed the motion capture work for Agent 47 which was recorded at Giant Studios.

Speaking about the decision to return to Bateson after the studio earlier declared he wouldn’t be the voice of 47 in HITMAN: ABSOLUTION, Brand Director Jon Brooke said, “IO and Bateson have been bed fellows for over a decade and like all long running relationships sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder. Looking back I think we were just playing hard to get.”

Both Bateson and Mapother now join a long list of talent announced for the game including Marsha Thomason, Keith Carradine, Vivica Fox, Shannyn Sossamon and Powers Boothe.

HITMAN: ABSOLUTION is the most ambitious Hitman game IO have ever undertaken and is set to be released globally November 20, 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

So there you have it.  Get ready for a familiar voice when you don the suit, white shirt and red tie to continue your specific work this coming fall.