Ubi lets Assassin's dev know who's boss

Ubisoft has poured cold water on calls from its own developer for the Assassin's Creed franchise to take a break following the release of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood this November.

Last week Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin, associate producer on the Assassin's Creed franchise, told Eurogamer: "Honestly, I think for the benefit of everybody – and business can come back and override everything I say because at the end of the day it's about selling games – I believe that this license needs a breather. You can't plough a field every year. Once every three years – or once every something – you have to let it breathe. You have to let the minerals back in."

It appears Boivin's prediction was correct. Yesterday Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was asked about Eurogamer's story in its first quarter earnings call. He said the comments came from the production team (we knew that). Then, he said: "The decision is not theirs." He concluded: "It would not be right to comment right now."

While Guillemot stopped short of confirming that Assassin's Creed will return next year, his comments suggest there is much to discuss internally at Ubisoft about the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise. The question on everybody's lips is: will there be an Assassin's Creed game in 2011?