Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the most delayed games this generation. It was announced years ago and originally thought to be coming out in 2007 or 2008, but it was then retooled, which meant more development time. When we saw it at E3 2009, it was looking pretty good, and due for a late 2009 release, but that, too, was pushed back. Then it was dated for February 2010, taking it out of the overcrowded holiday season, and into the somewhat-crowded early 2010 season. I'm pretty sure you know what happened next: another delay. Now Ubisoft has announced a release date of April 13, 2010, and as you can see from the image above, it is literally set in stone.

Ubisoft posted this on their Twitter in the middle of the night, so naturally it was one of the first things I saw this morning. I guess the stone is supposed to be symbolic of the fact that the publisher is absolutely certain about this release date, but with Conviction, I still probably wouldn't be surprised by another delay. I think April is probably a better month to come out than February, though. Between February and March, there are a whole lot of really big games coming out, and Conviction shouldn't be lost in the shuffle. The April release means there's a much better chance I'll be playing it as soon as it comes out.

Assuming it's not delayed. Again.