2K Games have today revealed that a sequel to the 2007 first-person shooter, The Darkness, is in the works and set for release before the year's end; once again putting gamers in the shoes of Top Cow comics' supernaturally-enhanced anti-hero.

Titled simply The Darkness 2, the new game is currently in production at Digital Extremes, the Canadian studio who most will know from their co-development and various ports on Epic's Unreal products and most recently, the PC-tailored version of the upcoming Homefront.

The announcment press release reveals a few details about the game, including the plotline:

It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado, now the Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power, and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack on Jackie’s life heralds the start of a full-scale mob war, which has clearly been orchestrated by some outside force. The botched attempt opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, and sets Jackie on a journey to hell and worse, as he unravels the mystery behind the attack and the motivations of The Darkness itself.

What they don't mention however, is that it's not the same team that brought us the original Darkness game -- which was the Sweden-based Starbreeze Studios with their own in-house engine powering it. So it will be interesting to see how The Darkness 2 compares to the original once we learn more. Until then, you can check out a single screenshot.

The Darkness 2 is due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in "2011".