French publisher Ubisoft has revealed that it is latest publisher to make its PC titles available via Valve's digital distribution platform Steam, with the upcoming PC release of Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition currently available for pre-purchase.

The stealth title Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Crytek's non-linear shooter Far Cry mark Ubisoft's initial offerings, with Far Cry priced at $9.95 and Splinter Cell going for $19.95. Both will sell at a 10% discount until April 8.

Over 40 titles will be eventually be available, including Tom Clancy games, the Heroes of Might & Magic series, the IL-2 Sturmovik collection and more, along with upcoming releases such as Far Cry 2. According to Valve, bundles packaging franchise entries together will be available in the coming weeks.

"Ubisoft will be delivering the largest library of titles available from any single publisher or developer to Steam," said Valve business development director Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve.

"We look forward to working with Steam and continuing to strengthen our commitment to the PC gaming community with innovative products and wider distribution channels, added Ubisoft senior sales director Andy Swanson.

Ubisoft has released a Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East demo for those of you interested in trying the upcoming strategy game expansion pack.

The 900mb demo allows you to play as an Orc faction and use their new "Blood Rage" and "War Cries" features to rock the battlefield.

Developed by Nival Interactive, the retail version of the stand-alone expansion ships October 16.

More from IGN where they also have a Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East preview. The article offers hands-on impressions of this fantasy strategy game expansion pack.

Over at FileShack you can find new patches for New Heroes of Might & Magic V, updating version 1.41 of the game to v1.5. It offers changes to gameplay, camera and interface, fixes stability issues and adds several new features including the ability to create user campaigns.

Ubisoft today announced that developer Nival Interactive is developing a standalone expansion to Heroes of Might & Magic V. The second expansion to Nival's 2006 turn-based strategy title, Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East is focused on the addition of the playable Orc faction, drawing from the presentation of the Orcs in Arkane Studios' Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. Players will have access to a new campaign as well as ten new multiplayer maps. Other features include alternative upgrades for every creature in the game as well as new items, artifacts, and buildings.

"With a vast array of new content and an engaging, epic narrative, Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East will thrill devoted fans of the series," said Ubisoft's Tony Key. "It's a fitting end to Heroes V--the most accessible chapter yet combined with the industry-leading quality that has made the Heroes franchise a benchmark for strategy gaming."

Ubisoft plans to ship Nival Interactive's Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East in fall 2007. The game does not require the original Heroes of Might & Magic V.

As expected, new patches for Heroes of Might & Magic V and the Hammers of Fate expansion pack are now available. The patch for the original game deals with changes to the game's statistic system, while the Hammers of Fate patch takes stability, interface, gameplay and map editor improvements among other things.

The Might & Magic website has been updated, noting that there will be new patches for Heroes V and Hammer of Fate on Monday. The patches will take care of stability issues. Thanks Blues News.

Over at FileShack you can find new Heroes of Might & Magic V patches updating the game to version 1.03. The new patch offers more bug fixes, as well as four new multiplayer maps and a map editor.

The official Might & Magic website has been updated, offering a producer Q&A on Heroes of Might & Magic V: Hammers of Fate. Topics covered include the addition of just one new faction, new locations, caravans, release of a map editor and balancing updates. Thanks FiringSquad.

It's only been a few months since Heroes of Might & Magic V was released, but Ubisoft today announced that an expansion pack is coming this November. Heroes of Might & Magic V: Hammers of Fate, like the original game, is being developed by Nival Interactive. Here's what will be included

* New faction: Introducing the brand-new Dwarves faction, made up of heroic warriors and rune magic adepts who stalk Ashan's deepest mountains and most hostile regions.
* A brand-new adventure: Featuring 15 new missions, new heroes, and improved cut-scenes, the new campaign will lead players even deeper into the dramatic events that began with Heroes of Might and Magic V.
* Extended game experience: Includes a wealth of new spells and abilities, five new single-player maps, 10 new multiplayer maps, new buildings, new artifacts, and new neutral creatures, Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate gives players the tools to develop new tactics, and further their game experience both online and offline.

You can find a couple of screenshots right here.

Ubisoft sends along new patches for New Heroes of Might & Magic V, updating the game to v1.02. The updates offer a ton of bug fixes, two new maps and much more.

Head over to FileShack to grab the 1.01 patch for Heroes of Might & Magic V. The patch adds an easy mode and an auto-update feature and comes with quite a few bug fixes.

FileShack is now hosting a new Heroes of Might & Magic V movie, focusing on the game's Dynamic Battle System. Includes interview and gameplay footage. Thanks 3D Gamers.

GameSpy has the latest Heroes of Might & Magic V preview posted, checking out the fantasy strategy game sequel. You can check it out for yourself by grabbing the demo.

Total Video Games is the latest site with a new Heroes of Might & Magic V preview, checking out a recent preview build of the fantasy strategy game sequel.

There's a new Heroes of Might & Magic V preview on IGN, offering impressions based on playing time with the latest preview build. The turn-based strategy game sequel is due out late next month.

As promised, Ubisoft has released the Heroes of Might & Magic V demo. The 669mb download 3 playable missions, 2 playable races, and the ability to play multiplayer through Ubi.com.

Ubisoft sends along word that a Heroes of Might & Magic V demo will be released this Thursday. The demo will include two maps from the Haven and Inferno campaigns, the "843 YSD: Falcon's last flight" singleplayer level and 6 of 18 heroes for the Duel Mode multiplayer mode.

Might & Magic fan site Celestial Heavens has a new preview of Heroes of Might & Magic V, checking out the most recent preview build of the game. The article goes over the factions, towns, heroes, creatures and magic in the game.

GameSpot has a new Heroes of Might & Magic V preview this evening, taking another look at the singleplayer campaign of the turn based strategy game sequel.