Action Vault have posted an interview with graphic designer Thor Frølich. Here is part of the interview:

Action Vault: What's the basic premise of the game? What are the important strengths of Hitman that you want to retain and build on, and why?

Thor Frølich: Story-wise the basic premise is the retired Hitman being tricked into returning to his old trade - this time motivated by something else than instinct and a great salary. Hitman never chose to be an assassin - he was born into it. Therefore, having retired and confessed his sins, he's hesitant to return. He's extremely good at doing something he's ashamed of and fears. When we sat down and designed Hitman 2, we spent some time figuring out what worked in the first game and which parts needed reworking or were to be discarded.

What really worked beautifully was the openness in the gameplay. Allowing players to complete the missions how they see fit instead of forcing solutions on them. We've had plenty of e-mails and seen forum posts where players describe how they completed certain levels in ways we had never thought of. That is extremely gratifying to see as a game developer. We're here to set up the basic framework (level, AI and a mission) in which the players can go about doing what they see fit.