The growing pains of Splinter Cell: Conviction continue, as Ubisoft has once again postponed the oft-delayed stealth-action game alongside several other titles.

Both Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC, Xbox 360) and Red Steel 2 (Wii) have been bumped out of 2009, and are now expected to release between January 1 and March 31, 2010. Conviction was originally due in Q4 2007, with at least four delays now under its belt.

Also delayed were the new Ghost Recon and I Am Alive. Once due between January and March 2010, both are now expected between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011.

"We are disappointed that we have to postpone the release of several major games but we consider that this choice is the best one in the long-term interests of Ubisoft," CEO Yves Guillemot explained in a statement.

Financial documents released by Ubisoft today confirmed that a fourth entry in the Ghost Recon series of squad-based shooters will soon be released by the publisher.

No details on "Ghost Recon 4" were mentioned in the documents, though the game was scheduled to be released in Ubisoft's 2009-2010 fiscal period. This puts the title out by the end of March 2010 at the latest.

Meanwhile, the oft-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC, 360) was mentioned in a list of games coming "this Christmas," along with the western-themed, Wii MotionPlus-supporting Red Steel 2 (Wii).