New Assassin's Creed 'Episode' with Multiplayer, Another Driver Due Across Next Year

In addition to word that Splinter Cell: Conviction and R.U.S.E. have been delayed, the "sales target" update Ubisoft sent out today also contained word of new games.

Specifically, "Driver, Raving Rabbids 4 and a new episode of Assassin's Creed, which will be the first in the series to have an online multiplayer mode" are planned to arrive across the publisher's next fiscal year, which runs April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

Nothing else was said the above games, leaving it unclear as to if the "new episode of Assassin's Creed" will be a full-fledged release or an Assassin's Creed II add-on. As for Driver, a new entry was revealed back in June 2008, but we've heard little since.

[UPDATE] This "new episode of Assassin's Creed" will be a stand-alone release (not downloadable content) that features AC2 star Ezio, Ubisoft tells Kotaku. [/UPDATE]

The above come in addition to Splinter Cell: Conviction, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and the new Ghost Recon, leading Ubisoft to boast "the 2010-11 fiscal year will see a greater number of franchise releases than in 2009-10."