The Splinter Cell franchise, starring square-jawed special forces operative Sam Fisher, is widely praised for the way it managed to blend action and stealth gameplay, all while delivering an intricate plot which is very Tom Clancy in its conspiracy upon conspiracy structure. However, it seems that following the release of Double Agent in 2006, the series has come to a few setbacks and the next title, Splinter Cell: Conviction, is nowhere to be seen.

A rumor has been put into print by the Xbox World 360 videogaming magazine saying that the game looked too much like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and like Assassin's Creed, while not delivering the same experience to gamers. The new title did not rework the stealth system and the combat moves as publishers Ubisoft wanted it to, so it is back to a very early stage in its development, where core gameplay mechanics are re-imagined in an effort to create something truly original and interesting.

There is not a lot of information out on the game, but it seems like Sam Fisher is out on the streets, dressed like a lowly bum, apparently totally out of the high espionage game he played in previous games. Of course, it's likely that this is just an elaborate setup that Fisher and some covert agency are creating to make him infiltrate God knows what terrorist threat. But the plot might also be subject to an overhaul, as Ubisoft Montreal, the developer of the title, takes another shot at the game.

The rumor claims that the new release date for the game is set somewhere in late 2009, with the possibility of a delay until early 2010. Ubisoft has claimed that it does not comment on such rumors and that all is going as planned regarding the Splinter Cell franchise. However, the latest press release coming from Ubisoft regarding the game made mention of a November 2007 release date, which clearly means that something is not right in Montreal.