Assassin's Creed 2011 confirmed

There will be a new Assassin's Creed game in 2011, Ubisoft has confirmed, despite earlier promises that the series would be taking a year off.

Speaking at an investor call today, CEO Yves Guillemot revealed, "There will be something around Assassin's [next year]. That's all we can say."

No clarification was offered as to exactly what form the game might take, but CFO Alain Martinez said "Maybe after Christmas in January we'll be able to talk about what kind of product we have."

This goes against what Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin told Eurogamer earlier this year. He insisted that the franchise would need a break in 2011.

"Honestly, I think for the benefit of everybody – and business can come back and over-ride everything I say because at the end of the day it's about selling games – I believe that this license needs a breather.

"You can't plough a field every year. Once every three years – or once every something – you have to let it breathe. You have to let the minerals back in. I think it's the same thing with any license, really."

It would appear that the Ubisoft higher-ups are indeed taking a different view and have set their hearts on an annual release schedule for the hugely successful franchise.

"That is the ultimate goal," Guillemot explained elsewhere in the investor call. "We can't say we're already there. We want to come out every year with three or four major brands that will deliver a high level of profitability. That's the goal we have today."