Ubisoft Reveals Xenon Plans for 2005

Publisher planning to release updates and original games on Microsoft's upcoming console.

Business reports are not always the most scintillating of documents, but Ubisoft's latest financial prospectus has some interesting info that's worth taking note of.

Stealth fans hankering for more espionage action will be glad to hear that everyone's favourite CIA agent, Sam Fisher, is scheduled for another tour of duty later this year. No details are known yet for Splinter Cell 4 save that it's coming this autumn and will be released for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP and Xenon.

Other upcoming Xenon titles include a tie-in for Peter Jackson's King Kong flick and another instalment in the enormously successful Ghost Recon series. Both are scheduled for release this autumn, around the launch of the new console. A third Prince of Persia title is bound for current generation consoles later in the year too.

But it's not all updates and sequels for Ubisoft. The company is also working on Killing Day, a new first person shooter designed specifically for next-generation consoles. Ubisoft hasn't revealed anything with regards to gameplay but we can expect Killing Day to see release on Xenon next winter.

There was some bad news in the report, though. Ding Chavez and the rest of the Rainbow Six quartet will not be making it to shops in March, as was previously planned. Citing strong sales from games already released this winter, Ubisoft has decided to push the release of Rainbow Six: Lockdown to spring, which falls into the company's next financial year. The game is finished, though, so the wait won't be long.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games