Rumor: Splinter Cell: Conviction Delayed Again, Reworked Because of Assassin's Creed

An unconfirmed report by Xbox World 360 magazine claims that Ubisoft's twice-delayed stealth-centric title Splinter Cell: Conviction has been postponed yet again, with this delay going so far as to push the Xbox 360-exclusive game "back to the drawing board."

As relayed by CVG, the magazine states that the game and its pedestrian-filled environments are now expected for a holiday 2009 or spring 2010 release.

Ubisoft had previously expected a release between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, with a Microsoft GDC presentation in February listing Splinter Cell: Conviction among the exclusive Xbox 360 titles due out this fall

The magazine speculates that the delay stems from the game not comparing favorably to other internally-developed titles, such as Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed.

When reached for comment by videogaming247, Ubisoft did not deny the allegations, but instead claimed it had "no official comment on this story, which is based on a purely speculative news piece."