Saw this on Neogaf.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=433661

David Bateson, singer, actor and eponymous voice of Agent 47 for the entire Hitman franchise, has been unceremoniously dumped by IO Interactive. Although it had previously been confirmed that amongst the cast reshuffle, it took a member of Hitmanforum to contact Bateson personally, to find out why. His response was, alarmingly, indicative of the studio dropping the actor quite unceremoniously:

‘The absolute truth is: no one from IO Interactive is answering my calls, e-mails or sms. Feeling very let down at the moment but I haven’t heard personally.’

Considering that Bateson’s voice has been one of the key aspects of the character’s persona, the rough, European rumble that picked 47 out as a cool, calm operator, it does raise questions as to whether Absolution is hoping to shift further from its roots than previously expected.

Man, that fucking sucks. Agent 47 had such a cool voice too. This game is sounding worse all the time. More action focused, less stealth, no original voice actors, composer or developer team(most likely the K&L team now). Go damn this is going to be awful. :|

IOI maybe think it's time for mr 47 to stop talking.

While this is disappointing, im not gonna throw in the towel yet. Hitman still has a chance of being great.

@Pibo47 said:

While this is disappointing, im not gonna throw in the towel yet. Hitman still has a chance of being great.

It just sounds like they want a generic third person shooter. Especially after saying they want to push stealth players into more action roles.

Turns out he was little more then a number to them...

I always liked his voice, they better not get timothy oliphant as the voice.

I'm sorry, I can't comment on this, but "original composter dumped" made me laugh.  
 
And now I make my leave. 

Until I see more then it's not really a big deal to me. Voice actors get replaced all the time and I'm not going to damn a new VA or composer just because he wasn't the last VA or composer. The new team might be great - we haven't heard anything so we don't know.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Turns out he was little more then a number to them...

Nnnnnggghhhhh...

You're fired. Clean out your locker on the way out.

Damn. The soundtrack was my favourite part of Hitman: Blood Money.

*spits out tea* What!? What the hell are IO at? 
 
First they say they're making it more like a movie with a "dark" story, then the only footage they release makes it look like a bloody action game and now this. Are IO trying to kill off their remaining fanbase!?

No Jesper Kyd? That's actually a pretty big deal. I love a lot about these games but his score was exceptional… hopefully the rest of the game is just as strong as before.

Edit: Also if that's true that he's just not heard anything at all then that's just mean business.

And we all know you can't make a game as SHITTY as Hitman without a good amount of compost.

@NeverDave said:

No Jesper Kyd? That's actually a pretty big deal. I love a lot about these games but his score was exceptional… hopefully the rest of the game is just as strong as before.

Probably busy with the new Assassin's Creed.

@Cloudenvy said:

@NeverDave said:

No Jesper Kyd? That's actually a pretty big deal. I love a lot about these games but his score was exceptional… hopefully the rest of the game is just as strong as before.

Probably busy with the new Assassin's Creed.

Probably. Shame though, he did some really great stuff for Hitman. Only game soundtracks I ever purchased.

I don't think it'll be very hard to find a good 47 impersonator. Not a big deal. 
 
Losing Jesper Kyd, that is a big deal.

@NeverDave said:

@Cloudenvy said:

@NeverDave said:

No Jesper Kyd? That's actually a pretty big deal. I love a lot about these games but his score was exceptional… hopefully the rest of the game is just as strong as before.

Probably busy with the new Assassin's Creed.

Probably. Shame though, he did some really great stuff for Hitman. Only game soundtracks I ever purchased.

It is a shame I guess, but I've enjoyed his work on Assassin's Creed way more so naturally I'd rather want him there.

@BulletproofMonk said:

I don't think it'll be very hard to find a good 47 impersonator. Not a big deal. Losing Jesper Kyd, that is a big deal.

yep this

Wow... is there NO new game of an old-running franchise that is staying 100% true to its roots ? 
 
what the shit is going on with video games this day and fucking age ?

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

Wow... is there NO new game of an old-running franchise that is staying 100% true to its roots ? what the shit is going on with video games this day and fucking age ?

Can anyone be a part of this fucking age? It's been a while…

Only the fans care - and there were not enough fans to justify making another Hitman with the same unforgiving mechanics.

to be honest hitmans orginal voice actor was very untalented the series could use an upgrade.
 
and where does it say there will be less stealth and more action focused? because he go into cover, give me a break the series has always need that and wont change the series at all.

So..who wants to put money on Nolan North as the new voice actor?

I hate it so much when people say a game is going to be bad before they played it.

I think I remember reading somewhere that 47 was modeled after his voice actor, if that's true it would be kind of a dick move. I suspected something was amiss when I saw 47 this time, he reminded me of timothy oliphant.

David Bateson's departure is sad, but Jesper Kyd too? What on earth are those idiots thinking?

Wait 47 talked?

I'm holding off judgment because I hear good things from Arthur Gies, whom I know is a Hitman fan. The voice actor is slightly dispensable in place of someone better (while I don't think he does a particularly bad job as Agent 47, it has never been a spectacular performance as he has never had too many spoken lines of dialogue to begin with). The composer would be a different story. Jesper Kyd has done an *amazing* job with the series. So much so that I often listen to Hitman soundtracks. They'd be hard pressed to find someone better. I pray that they do.

so it'll be the infamous 2 of hitman games?

The voice-actor thing I can live with, but no Jesper Kyd? 

@NeverDave said:

@Cloudenvy said:

@NeverDave said:

No Jesper Kyd? That's actually a pretty big deal. I love a lot about these games but his score was exceptional… hopefully the rest of the game is just as strong as before.

Probably busy with the new Assassin's Creed.

Probably. Shame though, he did some really great stuff for Hitman. Only game soundtracks I ever purchased.

It is a shame I guess, but I've enjoyed his work on Assassin's Creed way more so naturally I'd rather want him there.

sad days

No Jesper Kyd is a bad bad move.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y67ZcAVYtWM&feature=player_embedded
 
 
@17:40 to hear the Christan Bale wannabe they got to play 47.

this is the kind of thing I overreact to too GRRRR!!!!!!!.....