Splinter Cell Conviction really won't go to the PS3

Comments from Ubisoft's CEO put to rest any rumours that Splinter Cell Conviction might be heading to the PS3, even after the game's recent delay.

Following Ubisoft's announcement that Splinter Cell Conviction would be pushed into a 2010 release, some websites, including MSXbox-World, believe that it might be a sign that the game will be releasing for multiple platforms.

The most obvious point to correct them on is the fact that Splinter Cell Conviction is a multi-platform game; it's releasing for the Xbox 360 and PCs.

Although it's certainly true that many publishers are beginning to release their games on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Ubisoft has been head-strong with the fact that Conviction would remain an Xbox 360 console exclusive. Ubisoft's forum manger recently explained the reason for the exclusivity:

"Splinter Cell conviction is a true Microsoft exclusive title and there are no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other platforms. There are several reasons behind this choice. First of all, Splinter Cell games are historically linked with Microsoft platforms. The first Splinter Cell on the original Xbox was one of the first games to fully exploit the console’s technical possibilities."

"At that time, Microsoft really believed in the game potential and provided strong support to promote it. So, there is a 'link of heart' between the franchise and the platform. Some games are like this (think of Final Fantasy for instance).

"The second reason behind this choice is purely linked to production. Having a single target platform means that we can optimize the game even further, because we only have one type of - console - hardware to support."

Still, maybe Ubisoft has changed their mind following their announced poor sales results? Comments from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in an interview with Joystiq after the delay was announced, make it very clear that the publisher's relationship with Microsoft is very important to them and that they'd be unlikely to jeopardise it:

"We still have the full support of Microsoft, because they know that if we can bring a very high-quality game this will help their machine. So we still have the full support from them," Guillemot explained.

We'd suggest that it's time to put this rumour to rest and instead look forward to Splinter Cell Conviction on the Xbox 360 and PC only.

Read more about Splinter Cell Conviction here.