Ubisoft Delaying Red Steel 2 & Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction to 2010

Two of the biggest games this holiday season have been pushed back until early 2010. Ubisoft's Red Steel 2 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is getting delayed. Red Steel 2 is the sequel to the popular launch game, Red Steel, on the Nintendo Wii. The exclusive title uses the new Wii MotionPlus add-on accessory for more precision in shooting your gun and swinging your sword. Red Steel 2 also features a huge jump visually from the first game as everything looks more vibrant than ever before. As a result, the Ubisoft game is everything a sequel should be and was one of the most anticipated Nintendo Wii games of the holiday season. Instead, it won't be released until early 2010.

Unfortunately for Ubisoft, their other highly anticipated sequel will also be delayed. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is the latest title in the critically acclaimed and multi-million selling Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. The new game features a reboot as the interface and visual presentation has been reworked to the core. Like Red Steel 2 to its predecessor, you probably have a hard time distinguishing Conviction as a Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell title without the name. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction was supposed to be released in the 2009 holiday season on the Xbox 360 first and then the PC platforms later down the road. Unfortunately, it won't make its original release schedule.

Both games are crucial for Ubisoft. For Red Steel 2, they are trying to establish a hardcore franchise on the Nintendo Wii. For that reason, they have to scrap the project at one point because it wasn't up to snuff. Most hardcore games on the Nintendo Wii end up selling less than desire, however. Not to mention that the holiday season will be crowded with bigger releases. So it was probably a good idea to delay Red Steel 2 until a more manageable timeframe for sales.

As mentioned before, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction marks a new direction for the popular series. It too was scrapped in the middle of development as Ubisoft decided to go in another direction. Unlike Red Steel 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction comes from an established franchise and was supposed to be one of the biggest games this holiday season. Therefore, Ubisoft probably delay the game to ensure that it will be as polished as possible.

All is not lost for Ubisoft, however, as they still have Assassin's Creed 2 slated for this holiday season on the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. So while fans may be disappointed with the delays of Red Steel 2 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft should be able to still strive financially during this holiday season.