Assassin’s Creed starred Altair, and took place in 12^th century Israel.  Assassin’s Creed II stars Ezio, and takes place in 15^th century Italy.  Most gamers assumed that the inevitable Assassin’s Creed III would star a new ancestor of Desmond Miles, and take place in a new time period; 18^th century feudal Japan, for example.  Ubisoft, however, has confirmed some info that may change expectations for the third game in the series.

Speaking with CVG, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated that "We have a new Assassin's Creed that we expect will be a very high quality product that as well as an offline component will have a multiplayer component," to which an Ubisoft spokesman added, "The game will take place with the same hero, which is Ezio, and will follow-up the story that took place in Assassin's Creed II."  CVG also reports that the game will be developed by the same studios behind AC II, and that the game would be released at “full price point.”

This doesn’t bode well for those, like myself, who were looking for an Assassin’s Creed III with a large ninja presence.  Of course, they could be referring to a spin-off of Assassin’s Creed II, and not the full-on sequel.  After all, AC II has already sold over 6 million copies.  Personally, I hope that this is the case, and that Assassin's Creed III will introduce us to an entirely new chapter in the history of the Assassins and Templars, but for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.