Choice was the main theme of Dishonored and that’s "true again with the sequel"

Arkane Studios seems to be having an easier time with Dishonored 2, considering it was halfway through development on the first game when the team finally 'figured out what it was.'

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, studio co-director Harvey Smith said the team knew what it wanted in a video game. With each member having worked on System Shock, Deus Ex and others, the studio knew it wanted a game with player choice and freedom, as well as stealth and immersion. All set in a fantasy world.

"Dishonored was a mish-mash," said Smith. "We wanted to make a first-person immersive game in a fantasy world with some stealth features; it was a homage to games we’d made before or loved. But, halfway through, we were only just figuring out what it was.

“A game about an assassin where you don’t have to kill anyone – that was our goal with Dishonored. And that’s true again with the sequel."

Smith said starting Dishonored 2 off being familiar with the "map, calendar, religion and culture" was great for the team, enabling it to concentrate on tweaking certain aspects.

"We were thinking [with Dishonored 1] our swordfighting could have been a little deeper, our stealth could have been more reliable with better feedback, and our UI was slapped together at the last minute," he said. "Just at every level there was something to deepen or extend or think about longer."

Smith reiterated that with Dishonored 2 playing as Emily will feel "all new" due to having her own powers and moves.

"She's more of a finesse character," he said. "Just on a video game level, moving through the world feels different [with Emily]. But if you play Corvo, it’s all this classic stuff, it’s the rat swarms, it’s possession, it’s stopping time – he feels more heavy and brutal, he’s an older guy.”

Announced at E3 2015, Dishonored 2 is expected on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2016.