Klei Entertainment have announced that they are developing Shank 2.

The game, which continues the story of the ex-mob hit man Shank, is once again delivered with comic book style visuals as he is once again forced on the offensive to defend those closest to him.

The game also introduces an intense new, arcade-style survival co-op mode that has gamers working together to take down their foes, relying on the environment and weapon pick-ups for survival.

"Creatively, Shank still has a lot to give," said Jamie Cheng, founder of Klei Entertainment. "We took the feedback from the community and ran with it, putting our own flavor on every change. For Shank 2, we literally took apart the game and put it back together to push the envelope in combat mechanics, visuals, and 2D animation in games."

"We are honored to again partner with the visionary talent of Klei Entertainment," said Jamil Moledina, Director, Business Development at EA Partners. "Shank 2 showcases their ability to blend emotionally resonant yet sardonically violent storytelling with pitch perfect controls and art design and confirms EA Partners' strategy of bringing the best independent games simultaneously to all leading digital platforms."

Shank 2 will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in early 2012.