Speaking in an investor call, following the release of Ubisoft's fiscal third-quarter financial results, company CEO Yves Guillemot made it abundantly clear as to why another Assassin's Creed will unsheathe its stabby things before April 2011. According to Guillemot, Assassin's Creed 2, which launched in November 2009 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, has shipped 8 million copies. The original Assassin's Creed had sold just as many by June 2009 -- roughly 18 months after its debut.

Although details regarding the new Assassin's Creed -- set to star Ezio and some online friends -- remain slim, Guillemot wasn't mum on milieu: "This time, [Ezio] will strike directly against the templar's order in Rome." Can this Rome be built in a year, just in time for Holiday 2010?

Or, it'll be a Holiday 2010 present, depending on how heavily you drop those hints and how desirable you find Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's "cutting-edge technology, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes." Developed by the GRAW veterans at Ubisoft Paris, Future Soldier promises to "go beyond the core Ghost Recon franchise and deliver a fresh gameplay experience, with an unparalleled level of quality that will excite long-time fans and newcomers alike." Yes, this is definitely from a press release.

A multiplayer beta is scheduled to start in Summer 2010, with invitations tied to another of Ubisoft's freshened franchises, Splinter Cell: Conviction (which is but a stone's throw away from release). The offer is currently extended only to the Xbox 360 version of Conviction -- and aside from Microsoft's system, no platforms have been explicitly mentioned in Future Soldier's announcement. He's from the future, so Facebook is a likely candidate.

Update: According to one of Ubisoft's Twitter accounts, the "same experience, same development team and same release date" will be coming to PlayStation 3. Ubisoft's Kimi Matsuzaki also noted that PC details would come "later."

Thank the Enkindlers! Encompassing an entire galaxy's worth of alien beings, uncharted worlds and tattooed psychopaths, Mass Effect's bible doesn't exactly make for light reading. "We probably spent 6-12 months with a team of designers, artists and so on doing concepting, world building, design and character iteration, timelines, and the history of the universe," BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka recently told IGN. The "IP bible" is consulted for all Mass Effect games, he explained, comparing it to an "iceberg that's down there, giving it weight and gravity, credibility and depth."

Echoing earlier statements made by BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk, Muzyka pointed to the franchise's considerable backstory as a viable source for "future extensions, ancillary products, things like that." Things like that may include spin-offs like Mass Effect: Galaxy for iPhone, novels, further expansions to Mass Effect 2, and, obviously, Mass Effect 3.

Sadly, if there's one thing the Mass Effect bible can't teach us, it's the virtue of patience. Who wouldn't kill for the next part of the trilogy right now?

Microsoft is pulling the plug on the Xbox Live services that still cater to the original Xbox. As of April 15th, all Xbox 1 games -- including those playable on Xbox 360 or via the Xbox Originals service -- will be severed from the online realm. "I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly," Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten said at the start of a letter to Xbox Live members, "but after careful consideration, it is clear that this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community."

Whitten added that in continuing to "evolve the service," Microsoft requires changes that are "incompatible" with the previous console's games. "We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities."

According to Major Nelson's most recent list of top Xbox 1 Live titles, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Counter-Strike players will be hardest hit. Well, sure, Halo 2 is still the most widely played game, but at least those guys will have some consolation when they leave the house and discover that two three more Halo games have come out since 2004.

By the way, if you have anything terribly important to say to your clan mates, we suggest you say it now.

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The Rocketeer raconteurs at Capcom have announced downloadable content for January's critical crash-and-burn, Dark Void. Dubbed "Survivor Missions," the pack allows you to "relive key events" from the third-person shooter, modified by increasingly difficult waves of enemies and a points multiplier. Think: Gears of War 2's horde mode, only you're alone and ... can turn into a plane?

The DLC should be available on Xbox 360 next week, February 10th, at 400 MS points ($5). It'll land on PlayStation Network the following day, February 11th, for $4.99 -- that's one cent cheaper than DSiWare's Dark Void Zero. And if you're looking for even more ways to spend money on Dark Void, Bear in mind the soundtrack, which launches on February 9th.

As you might expect, several larger-than-life figures ("some of the biggest playable characters on Wii," in fact) from world mythology are embroiled in the titular tournament, including a minotaur, gladiator, Valkyrie and Gorgon. Up to two players can enter the arena and have at each other with different weapons, magic and supported Classic Controllers. You can also summon "a man-eating lion," which scientists have repeatedly shown to be the only useful variant of the lion.

Gallery: Tournament of Legends (Wii)

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D3Publisher has announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing that will see the upcoming 3D animated film, "Despicable Me," transformed into an obligatory video game for consoles (which likely includes the one making a cameo above) and handheld systems. Despicable Me: The Game casts you in the role of Gru, the film's anguished supervillain mired in a war with his archnemesis, Vector. Expect "a unique blend of action and puzzle solving," along with "an army of loyal-but-manic minions" and a release date in line with the film's debut on July 9, 2010.

The developer hasn't yet been named (uh oh), but we're hoping for a decent tie-in title, if only to spare us from the inevitable one-liner reviews:

• "This is a despicable game."
• "Only despicable you would spend time on this one."
• "This game is not fun but it is despicable which is funny because Despicable Me is the title of this game."

While Xbox 360 and PC players are gallivanting across the galaxy in BioWare's latest, single-player only adventure, the PlayStation 3 is preparing for its own solitary storytelling in down-to-earth thriller Heavy Rain. Speaking to CVG, Sony product manager Lucy Duncan offered some comforting words to those who'd rather traverse a dialogue tree than a multiplayer map.

"... we strive to offer a broad set of experiences and a return to the single player 'adventure' format but with a state of the art graphical presentation, a terrific noir narrative and an hugely innovative interface seems like a compelling proposition for the discerning gamer," she explained. A lack of online play may strike some as an odd move -- even Rapture's making room for more residents -- but Duncan reckons a trust in developer Quantic Dream will pay off. Well, that and being a big player. "Being Sony, I suppose we have a little more luxury to take a gamble on more original and innovative IP -- and Heavy Rain definitely fits that category."

With God of War 3, Alan Wake and Final Fantasy XIII also steeped in excitement, the "big single-player adventure" looks to be one of 2010's best bets.

In its continued quest to unearth some of PC gaming's finest relics, GOG.com has announced a new deal with Activision Publishing Inc. -- in the context of purveying point-and-click classics, that means Sierra games! The first two games to be added to GOG's DRM-free lineup are role-playing favorite Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura; and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, the first outing of Jane Jensen's caustic-witted writer and detective. Both titles are priced at $5.99.

More classic titles from Activision's vault are expected to be added over the coming weeks. With Gabriel Knight star Tim Curry leading the charge, anything can happen.

Initially scrapped from the main game due to time constraints, Battle of Forli seems like an acceptable casualty in Ubisoft's war to complete Assassin's Creed 2. Considering the grandeur of Ezio's quest, it's easy to see why this man got left behind -- or woman, rather.

In a significant upgrade from her brief role as glorified gondola tutorial, Caterina Sforza assumes the role of leader and custodian of Forli, the drab, melancholy settlement that acted as a rest stop on the way to Venice in Assassin's Creed 2. Ezio's unacknowledged meddling with 15th-century history proves to be the biggest draw of this DLC subplot, even though most of his participation involves putting sharp things through soft spots.

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"If it's got a great screen, some buttons, you can turn it on and it connects to the Internet, it's got the ability to be a games machine." That's what EA Sports president Peter Moore shared on Apple's heavily rumored tablet device, predicted to be unveiled during a media event this Wednesday. Moore recently told Bloomberg that his knowledge on the project was derived from media reports -- in which case he must know about the connection drawn between EA and the unannounced device's game offerings.

In the same report, Jon Kromrey, general manager of Apple games at Namco Networks America (which recently trumpeted 23 million downloads on iPhone and iPod Touch), expresses a notable amount of optimism regarding the platform's gaming possibilities. "I'm having fun thinking about all the wonderful things we can do with the device when it's announced," he said. You know people have had enough speculation the moment they start saying "when."

If you've had trouble keeping track of the nigh-mythical tablet's history, head over to Engadget for a comprehensive summary. Joystiq will be attending Apple's media event tomorrow (psst, we cover games!) so expect to hear more then -- even if it's just a really powerful paintball gun.

Irrational Games' new community-oriented website continues to impress us with its candid peeks at the inner workings of the studio and interesting developments that may have eluded the public eye. In an update posted today, Shawn Elliott examines five features that were cut from Irrational's beloved pair of 'Shocks.

"In one fell 30-second swoop, we could have prevented about 80 percent of the complaints, or at least redirected them toward Xerxes and the Many, and away from the development team," says designer Dorian Hart on the infamous ire directed at System Shock 2's degrading weaponry. And how would said swoop combat arguments about the unrealistic, accelerated rate of weapon malfunction? An in-game audio log "would have explained that as part of their takeover, the Many had released a special corrosive gas into the Von Braun that damaged weapons but was harmless to organic creatures."

If that seems maddeningly simple, consider "Nav-Bot," a mechanical fellow intended to guide lost players through BioShock's city of Rapture. Designers had several concerns -- what happens if the helpful bot gets stuck in a scrap with enemies? -- but the player's familiarity with a plain ol' map dealt the death blow. "In the end, someone (maybe Jon Chey at Irrational Games Australia) made the executive decision that we needed to suck up the extra work and make a map," notes technical director Chris Kline. "Thus died Nav-Bot." May he rust in peace.

Twisted Pixel's highly combustible Xbox Live Arcade platformer and object of Joystiq adoration, 'Splosion Man, will headline the upcoming Marketplace schedule (as relayed by Major Nelson) with a temporary 50-percent price reduction. After dropping to 400 ($5) for the week of February 1, 'Splosion Man should prove more challenging to blow off than up.

Other highlights include Chime, February 3's non-profit Xbox Live Arcade release from Zoe Mode and OneBigGame, the Halo 3 Mythic 2 Map Pack, and the first part of Assassin's Creed 2 downloadable content, "Battle of Forli." Expect a Joystiq review on that closer to its January 28 launch.

Mobile analytics company Flurry has released a report on what it claims to be tracking data on Apple's latest creation, which is heavily rumored to be a tablet device. Accompanied by "a fair level of confidence," the results were assembled by identifying approximately 50 devices, all of which "match the characteristics" of the unannounced device, and placing them geographically within Apple's Cupertino campus.

Of course, with said characteristics mired within the realm of speculation and the campus no doubt home to many in-test projects, the report is also accompanied by a fair level of skepticism. It's interesting that games form the clear majority of tested applications -- especially if EA is on-board, as the Wall Street Journal suggested -- and may portend one of the device's strongest aspirations. In your snooty face, News & Books!

Joystiq will be attending Apple's media event on Wednesday, January 27, so expect to hear more then.

[Via Engadget]

Much like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demonstrated in 2009, Halo: Reach will be expected to deliver an experience that not only speaks highly of its developer, but also of the technological capabilities and commercial identity of its home platform. Whereas Halo 3: ODST was built upon Bungie's 2007 space hoop outing (has it already been that long?), the developer tells Edge that its next shooter is already "bending the Xbox as far as it'll bend." Surely that voids the warranty?

"We are... taking every advantage of everything on the CPU and GPU, and every bit of memory in order to produce the look of Reach beyond anything of Halo 3, " creative director Marcus Lehto noted, attributing the evolution -- which also benefits the size of environments and complexity of the AI -- to increased understanding of the hardware. "We're pushing it as far as we can go," Lehto said. "With every iteration we understand what more we can exploit with the hardware."

Chalk up another win for longer console life cycles -- and for long-running franchises.