E3 2008 came and went without nary a mention of Splinter Cell: Conviction, the next chapter in Ubisoft’s Sam Fisher series and a game that Microsoft heavily promoted during E3 2006 as an example of publishers choosing to put their games exclusively on Xbox 360.
It now looks like Microsoft will have to wait even longer to hoist that flag.
During its financial call with analysts and media, Ubisoft today announced it has once again delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction for Xbox 360. The latest release estimate? During the company’s 2009-2010 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010.
If Ubisoft can deliver on this newest deadline, the Xbox 360-exclusive Splinter Cell game could very well ship during the holiday 2009 shopping window, which falls in the middle of Ubisoft’s fiscal year. Fall 09 and Spring 2010 are also possibilities, but a betting man would put money on the holiday season instead.
Ubisoft did not cite specific reasons for this latest delay, nor did it provide a project update. Presumably, the team is taking the lessons learned from the crowd mechanics in Assassin’s Creed — which essentially used the same “social stealth” elements touted so highly during the debut of Splinter Cell: Conviction — and refining them for a more-compelling Splinter Cell experience. With all the time spent on development, we certainly hope that’s the case.
