Thief 4, or Thi4f, officially announced for PC and next generation consoles

What we formally knew to be Thief 4, or Thief on the official Eidos website, is now officially being branded as Thief. Announced by Square Enix and Eidos Montréal (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) today, Thief is being described as a "reinvention of a franchise that helped define an entire genre of games." A press release sent out today reads:

"There is a rising tide of fear in The City. Hatred saturates every stone and whilst the rich prosper, the less fortunate face misery and repression. Ravaged with sickness and famine, they wait for something to change."

"We’re handling a precious gemstone with Thief. Fans remember the original games very fondly and we want to preserve that essence which we have excellent experience of doing at Eidos Montréal, whilst also introducing Thief to a brand new, next-generation, audience,” said Stephane D’Astous, General Manager, Eidos Montréal. “Our goal is to deliver the fantasy of being Garrett, the master thief, and we’re building this game around that core experience.”

The first official coverage regarding Thief will be found in Game Informer's April issue. The website/magazine ran a piece today briefly detailing what Thief will entail.

"Series hero Garrett returns to the Gothic, industrial metropolis known simply as the City to steal any and everything that will make him richer," reads the summary. Unfortunately, the City is broiling with social tension as it is ravaged by a plague and lorded over by a political tyrant known as the Baron. In order to survive his adventures, Garrett will have to pay attention to his environment and make use of the may possible paths through each of the game's levels."

Thief is due out on PC and next generation consoles in 2014.