Assassin's Creed 2, GRAW 3 due by April '10, I Am Alive delayed

[admil]

Last Thanksgiving, French publisher Ubisoft--unburdened by Turkey-gorging duties--issued a robust earnings report for the six months ended September 30, 2008. As part of that earnings release, the company confirmed it was working on a follow-up to Assassin's Creed, which has sold an estimated 5 million units worldwide. Later rumors had the title forgoing the original's medieval Middle Eastern setting for Revolutionary France.

Today, as part of another healthy financial report, Ubisoft referred to Assassin's Creed 2 by name, declaring it will ship sometime during the 12 months ending March 31, 2010. Given the first game was one of Ubisoft's tentpole holiday 2007 titles, a Q4 2009 launch looks likely. Ubisoft's next fiscal year will also see a sequel to the popular high-tech shooter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, originally released in March 2007.

"Our [fiscal year 2009-10] lineup comprises several potential blockbusters with the launch of seven franchises, including Assassin's Creed [2], Splinter Cell [Conviction], and Ghost Recon [Advanced Warfighter 3], as well as four license-based games including James Cameron's Avatar, three new brands, and a further-enhanced casual-games portfolio," crowed Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. "Although we have to be cautious in light of the current economic environment, we expect Ubisoft to once again be one of the most dynamic and profitable publishers in the games industry in [calendar year] 2009."

Unfortunately, the excitement generated by the Assassin's Creed 2 and GRAW 3 revelations was tempered somewhat by confirmation of a major delay. I Am Alive, the multiplatform horror-survival game that was the centerpiece of Ubisoft's E3 2008 presentation, "will require further development time and will now bolster the line-up for 2009-10," the company said. Previously, it was expected to arrive for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this spring

Source: gamespot

[johnson22]

Ubisoft’s initial sales target for 2009-10 is approximately €1,100 ($1,595) million, taking into account both "an increase in gross profit reflecting the launch of a greater number of high-margin titles", presumably on Wii and DS, and "a rise in R&D costs due to a product mix geared more toward higher-investment games."

Overall, the company commented on "gains on marketing expenses due to a product mix geared more toward blockbusters and less casual", showing that it is intending to produce more big-budget games in 2009.

Guillemot subsequently told investors that a sequel to Wii launch title Red Steel would be released in the coming financial year.

[Dr. V]

This is the first confirmation of a new title in the Assassin's Creed series, called Assassin's Creed 2 in the release, and presumably due for a holiday 2009 release. Other titles include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction and a new game in the Anno strategy game series.

Later detailed were specifics on the license-based games, which include a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and the sequel to French animation-based game Arthur and the Invisibles.