Ubisoft Montreal's next Splinter Cell title, initially announced as Splinter Cell: Conviction, has been delayed until Ubisoft's 2009-2010 fiscal year, the publisher confirmed today.

The stealth-action PC and Xbox 360 game is now expected to arrive between April 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010, instead of the previous estimated release between January 1 and March 30, 2009. Curiously, Ubisoft only referred to the game as Splinter Cell in the announcement, suggesting the Conviction subtitle may have been dropped.

No reason was provided for the latest postponement of the thrice-delayed title, which was originally slated to arrive in holiday 2007. Ubisoft noted that the push would help "bolster the line-up for fiscal 2009-10," though rumors have suggested the title was recently forced "back to the drawing board."

An unconfirmed report by Xbox World 360 magazine claims that Ubisoft's twice-delayed stealth-centric title Splinter Cell: Conviction has been postponed yet again, with this delay going so far as to push the Xbox 360-exclusive game "back to the drawing board."

As relayed by CVG, the magazine states that the game and its pedestrian-filled environments are now expected for a holiday 2009 or spring 2010 release.

Ubisoft had previously expected a release between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, with a Microsoft GDC presentation in February listing Splinter Cell: Conviction among the exclusive Xbox 360 titles due out this fall

The magazine speculates that the delay stems from the game not comparing favorably to other internally-developed titles, such as Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed.

When reached for comment by videogaming247, Ubisoft did not deny the allegations, but instead claimed it had "no official comment on this story, which is based on a purely speculative news piece."

Pro-G has posted a Splinter Cell: Conviction Q&A, asking senior producer Matthew Ferland about the newest Sam Fisher game. Topics include the series' new direction, stealth and crowd manipulation, game pace, and locations.

Computer & Video Games is the latest site to feature a Splinter Cell: Conviction preview. The article offers impressions of a two level build shown at Ubisoft's Montreal offices.

There's a Splinter Cell: Conviction preview on Eurogamer, offering another look at the new installment in the spy game series.

GameSpot and 1UP both have Splinter Cell: Conviction first looks, checking out what at first glance looks like the Sam Fisher hobo sim.