Independent developer Rebellion announces that the next game in the Sniper Elite series, Sniper Elite 4, will release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One this year.

Fans of X-ray testicle explosions should be excited: Rebellion has officially announced that its historical sniping franchise is returning for PC and new-gen consoles later this year as Sniper Elite 4. What's more, the company has also confirmed the game's setting to be Italy in 1943, at the height of World War II.

Rebellion made the Sniper Elite 4 announcement earlier today, with a stunning teaser trailer that suggests a game with high quality graphics - if the final product is able to match it. In the game, players will once again be taking control of Sniper Elite 3 hero OSS officer Karl Fairburne, as he sets his sights on liberating the Italian people from Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime.

Fairburne will be joined on his quest by members of the Italian Resistance. While details on his exact mission remain scarce, it is apparently one of the most important covert operations of World War II, as if Fairburne fails, Rebellion says that it would cause a domino effect that would mean no D-Day, and the Axis powers retaining control of Europe.

See Sniper Elite 4 in action in the brief teaser trailer below:

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Along with releasing the gorgeous trailer seen above, developer Rebellion also revealed what fans can expect from Sniper Elite 4 in terms of features. Sniper Elite 4 will sport maps that are much larger than the ones found in previous entries like Sniper Elite 3 and Sniper Elite V2, and it will also have a full-fledged single player campaign, co-op, and versus multiplayer modes.

What remains to be seen is if Sniper Elite 4 will rectify the common complaints that fans have had about its predecessors. Many reviewers have complained about the AI in past Sniper Elite games, and have also taken issue with the franchise's shallow narratives. Here's hoping Sniper Elite 4 addresses these complaints, and others that we outlined in our own Sniper Elite 3 review, to deliver an experience that helps the franchise's slow-mo sniping and brutal stealth mechanics live up to their full potential.

What do you think of how Sniper Elite 4 looks so far? Are you impressed by what you see so far, or do you need to see more actual gameplay footage before getting excited? Have you enjoyed the previous Sniper Elite games, or did they fail to impress you? Get at us in the comments below and leave us your thoughts on the newest game in the Sniper Elite franchise.

Sniper Elite 4 is releasing for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One by the end of 2016.

Source: IGN