Ubisoft surprises us (in a good way) every year with new Tom Clancy's franchises and this year they're at it again. The renowned video game publisher and developer has just revealed that they're currently working on this new Tom Clancy's franchise, over at their Bucharest (Romania) studio for next generation consoles and PC. The game is said to fit the air combat genre, making it a first in Tom Clancy's universe.

This first air combat game developed under Tom Clancy's label launches sometime during 2008, just to get one fact straight. Now you can see what Serge Hascoet, chief creative officer at Ubisoft, had to say about their accomplishments with the new franchise so far:

"Ubisoft has an unrivalled track record of creating and sustaining new brands," said Hascoet. "Our commitment to refreshing our catalogue with regular introduction of new IPs is what keeps gamers coming back for more. With this new brand we're redefining the aerial combat genre and extending the Tom Clancy universe to deliver a compelling new action titles to next-generation gamers."

As for Sebastien Delen, managing director of Ubisoft's Bucharest studio, he "confident that this new brand will become the new benchmark for flight combat games and will be, like other Tom Clancy based games, an instant online multiplayer hit. The player will experience all the action and excitement of modern air combat, from intense dog fighting to tactical strikes."

Ubisoft was kind enough to even roll out a short description for the game, so everyone can see that this is something to look forward to: set in the near future, the game imagines a world where a private military force has accumulated such power that it attacks the USA. Thrust into the cockpits of incredibly powerful and technologically advanced jet fighters, gamers will benefit from hi-tech piloting assistance, providing comfort, security and enhanced perception. As players gain skills and confidence, they will be able to shed the assistance. But before choosing performance over security, they'll have to weigh the risks carefully.

In short, your typical flight combat game. But why haven't they named it yet? Of course, if the game does prove to be as next-gen as they say it'll be, then we can expect a great air combat game. Ubisoft's Bucharest studio is well known for doing a great job on Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie and Silent Hunter 4.