Update: May 25 has been set as the new launch date in the UK, meaning US gets it on the 22nd most likely. News on the beta is in as well: it’ll kick off in April for both Xbox 360 and the PS3. In addition, unlike previously said, a PC version is coming as well, though at a later date.

Said Adrian Lacey, IP development director at Ubisoft Studios – France: “Today we are feature complete in our MP, Single player and 4 player coop campaign modes. We have taken the decision to move the date in order to ensure that all these ingredients are pushed to the highest level and provide a truly unique shooter experience.

“The Ghost Recon franchise is known for setting the standard of high definition gaming and we believe the extra couple of months will allow us to reach that goal. We would like to thank all Ghost Recon fans for their patience and look forward to unveiling some exciting new elements in the coming weeks.”

Original story: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has been delayed. Again.

Pushed from Ubisoft’s fiscal 2011-12′s fourth quarter to 2012-13′s first, the much-delayed shooter is now on for release somewhere between April and July of this year. The game was previously dated, with a solid date, for early March.

Unless there’s been a change the publisher is yet to announce , the Xbox 360 multiplayer beta is still supposed to kick off this month. No dates on that though.

When originally announced back in February of 2012, the formal word only covered the Xbox 360 version, while existence of the PS3 version was confirmed via Twitter, which is also how the PC version was acknowledged: “More PC details later,” community developer Kimi Matsuzaki promised at the time.

As EG points out, a dedicated forum for the PC version on the game’s official site also clearly shows the publisher had intentions to release a PC version. But oh well. It’s not the first time there’s confusion over the PC versions of the publisher’s games.

‘Replacing’ the PC version of the Clancy shooter will be the free-to-play Ghost Recon Online; “Ghost Recon Online is the PC equivalent” to Future Soldier is the publisher’s party line.

Future Soldier on consoles, after a number of slips, should arrive in March 2012.

The slightly futuristic Tom Clancy shooter is in for a multiplayer beta as well. It’s expected to launch sometime in January, on Xbox 360 only.

Ubisoft confirmed the detail to Shack following yesterday’s Twitter announcement of the beta testing taking place some time in January.

Those with copies of Splinter Cell: Conviction being granted access — as was promised when the Tom Clancy follow-up was first announced — was once more confirmed as well.

For a peek at what to expect from the multiplayer portion, check the quick video  below that Ubi released a few weeks back.

The vague ‘Q1 2012′ window has been narrowed down to ‘January 2012′, the publisher has informed via Twitter: “We know you have been asking about the beta. We’re excited to announce that the MP beta will be launching in January 2012!”

Still no precise dates though.

It’s been a long time coming, certainly. The beta was originally scheduled for ‘summer 2010′). For those wondering: your Splinter Cell: Conviction disc will still give you access as promised when the game was first announced.

After multiple delays, the game is now on for a ‘March 2012′ launch, so not much room for post-beta fixes. Still, the beta won’t launch until the “first quarter of 2012,” Jacob tells NowGamer.

“The feedback of the players is very important, and every Thursday in our studio we do a ‘fresh eyes tests’, to take a step back and survey the multiplayer and get feedback from newcomers. We invite gamers in to see it back in Carolina and we take their feedback very seriously.”

Also teasing future reveals, Jacob adds: “We have plans to integrate a lot of social features to help the bragging rights aspect of multiplayer, but we don’t yet have anything to reveal about this.”

The Tom Clancy shooter was announced to have Kinect functionality earlier in the week. New video and screenshots are available as well.

Gameplay had the player, well, waving his arms about. No controller was used. A final announcement saw the publisher confirm that all future Tom Clancy titles will be Kinect-enabled. That’s a whole lot more arm waving.

A new boxart for the Ubisoft shooter, due out next year, discovered on xbox.com (since removed, via) labels the game as “better with Kinect sensor.” No word on what to expect, though according to a rumor from 2010 — from a time when Kinect was still known as Project Natal — the game will combine the traditional controller with Kinect controls, allowing players to use hand signals to issue commands, for example.

According to the same rumor, the Kinect functionality is optional.

After yet another delay, Future Soldier is currently on for an early 2012 release.

The shooter, originally scheduled for ‘holiday 2010′, will match the quality of its competitors and will elevate the franchise “to the level of the biggest players out there,” according to CEO Yves Guillemot, but will be avoiding them and the crowded holiday line-up nonetheless.

The game’s been off the radar for a while now. Here’s hoping Ubi will be making at least a bit of a splash with it at E3 next month.

Two of Ubisoft’s ‘early 2011′ big name titles, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Driver: San Francisco, have been delayed, the company’s FY first-half 2010-11 financials show today. The games can now be expected to launch as part the company’s fiscal 2011-2012 line-up, which mean they could release anywhere between April 2011 and March 2012.

Both games have gone through delays before; they were originally planned for the ‘holiday 2010′ window but were pushed to early 2011.

The report also reveals that recent releases HAWX 2 and RUSE performed “below expectations” for the publisher.

Previous Ghost Recon games’ at-times-problematic AI squad mates, or “a bunch of idiots” as Ghost Recon: Future Soldier producer Justin Drust puts it, will be much improved upon in next year’s entry.

The developers heard the complaints, Drust told Xbox World 360 in a recent interview, and acknowledges that there were moments in past games where the player’s squad “just kinda get in front of you and block your shot.” No more.

Players will still be able to manipulate and micromanage their team members in Future Soldier, he explains, but “they’re not going to be mindless AI that sits behind you anymore” if left on their own. “We wanted to really improve that.”

The shooter’s expected early next year.

Ubisoft-owned developer Red Storm Entertainment has been hit by layoffs.

The studio’s let go 38 people, the publisher’s confirmed to Kotaku, all of whom have been given the opportunity to consider positions in other Ubisoft studios.

According to a company rep, the cuts were made due to “a realignment of production priorities” and as “part of a plan to allow the studio to focus on its core expertise: developing innovative multiplayer experiences.”

The Tom Clancy co-founded studio is currently working on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which is expected to ship in next year’s March quarter.

Ubisoft’s posted five new Ghost Recon Future Soldier screenshots on the game’s official site, using them as means to answer an often asked question: is the game a first- or third-person shooter?

As can be seen from the shots above, it’s both; moving around and taking cover will be in third-person while a first-person view is available for those intel-collecting and precise headshot moments.

The game’s E3 gameplay demo shows it all in action as well.

Here’s that Ghost Recon Future Soldier trailer and demo from Ubisoft’s E3 presser on Monday. Good innit? The demo, we mean, not the trailer. The trailer is crap-tastic.

Highlights. Around the 5:40 mark when demo-dude and Producer Adrian Lacey sneaks up behind the gunner, takes him out, then props him up as the other guard strolls by. It’s a nice moment, made even better by McHale’s quip, “that guy is not paying good enough attention. His friend has a huge hole in his face right now.” S’funny.

7:35-ish too, where the squad get their man via a perfectly orchestrated maneuver. Ace!

Future Soldier is out early 2011.

Ubisoft is offering another way into Ghost Recon: Future Soldier‘s upcoming multiplayer beta.

So far available only to those who picked up Splinter Cell: Conviction, access to the testing will now also be available to those who pre-order the near-future shooter from GameStop.

The offer ends later this month, on the 28th, according to the game’s senior community developer Kimi Matsuzaki who tweeted the news.

The beta’s start date remains unclear though; along with the game’s release itself, it was delayed late last month.

The multiplayer beta for this summer’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has been delayed, Ubisoft has announced. The news comes after the game itself was pushed to ‘early 2011′ earlier in the week.

The testing will still “definitely happen” but “will be delayed in-line with the game,” a post on the game’s official site informs.

“We made the decision to delay it in order to bring you a more polished beta so your feedback would focus more on gameplay, less on bugs.”

The game itself was pushed back to avoid the holiday quarter’s “very competitive environment”.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is now a 2011 title.

Ubisoft’s earnings call once again delivered the news; going by CEO Yves Guillemot, the title has been moved out of the “very competitive environment” that is this year’s holiday quarter and into next year’s March quarter.

The additional development time will allow the developers to better realize “their vision” for the product as well, he added.

The possibly Natal-enabled shooter is expected to be fully unveiled at E3 in a few weeks. Until then, there are still those screenshots to go over.

This summer’s multiplayer beta should be unaffected by the delay.

Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier may be one of the first core games to make use of Project Natal. Going by what anonymous “sources” have told JeuxVideo, the slightly futuristic tactical shooter will come with a mode that combines the use of the Xbox 360 controller with some of Natal’s functionalities, allowing players to, for example, use hand signals to issue commands.

The mode is said to be optional and, if true, probably exactly the right kind of approach to drag the core audience into the Natal era; enhance the traditional controller, don’t replace it.

The first screenshots and pieces of artwork from the long-overdue next entry to the Ghost Recon series, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, have broken free from Ubisoft’s clutches, showing off some of the locations, weapons and gadgetry the game will have on offer.

The first chance to see the slightly futuristic shooter in action will be through the multiplayer beta that’ll launch some time this summer.

Sharing no expense on promoting the upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Ubisoft has released a two-minute live action trailer for the shooter, showing the first hints at the equipment and approaches available to the slightly futuristic soldiers.

Mind you, this is not the live action prequel that Oscar winners Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy are putting together; that is a separate, considerably lengthier project.

Oscar-winning directors Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy have been tapped to create a 20-minute live action short for the upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Reuters reports.

With one of the writers for Children of Men, Tim Sexton, also involved, the $8-10 million project is said to be a prequel and set up the story for a squad of U.S. Special Forces, aka the Ghosts.

Future Soldier arrives this holiday. The film has no date or release window at this time.

The first few details from Ghost Recon: Future Soldier have arrived via OPM’s cover story; The game takes place slightly in the future (10-15 years after GRAW2) and has the Ghosts causing trouble for yet another group of ultranationalists who thought it was a good idea to depose the Russian president.

Like seen in the teaser trailer (above), stealth cloaks will be present, as well as exo-skeleton legs which allow players to roll, jump (a first for the series) and “generally throw themselves around the battlefield”. Armored ground drones and extensive close quarters combat is also promised.

Four-player drop-in, drop-out cooperative play and character classes are said to play a big role as well, with each class having their unique gadgets and weaponry to make use of; optical camo for Recon, heart sensors for Snipers, shoulder mounted missiles for Commandos. And, in another first for the series, Future Soldier has said ‘no’ to any kind of squad commands.

The mag, and with it more details and first in-game screens, should arrive to subscribers shortly.

Ubisoft’s next entry in the Ghost Recon series, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, will be revealed in next month’s issue of Xbox World; on sale starting March 16. The mag’s current issue teases that they’ll be having a “first look at Recon‘s long-awaited return to Xbox 360″.

Future Soldier was announced last week with a teaser trailer (above), a tentative holiday 2010 release window, and news of a multiplayer beta — said to “change the playing field” — that will be available this summer to those who purchase another Ubisoft title, the Xbox 360 version of Splinter Cell: Conviction, as it releases in mid-April.

Future Soldier is in the making for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP as well as the DS.

“Coming up with something that will change the way people play shooters together” is no easy task, yet that is exactly how Ubisoft Paris approached the development of the new Ghost Recon title that was announced yesterday, Ghost Recon Future Soldier.

The studio wanted to create “something that is both incredibly simple and obvious, but that nobody has thought of before,” Future Soldier‘s creative director Olivier Dauba said in a welcome message on the new game’s newly launched website. “We didn’t want to come out with another old-style GRAW game — as far as we were concerned there was no point in doing “just” that. That much was clear from the very beginning on this game. Everybody expects quality, and we’ll still deliver on it like we did on the previous games.”

“True innovation, however, is definitely harder to come by these days,” he added. “Our aim was to come up with something that would change the playing field, and go where others have not yet been. There’s room for improvement left in the shooter genre, folks, and we’re taking you there to the war of tomorrow.”

The teaser trailer for Ubisoft’s newly announced Ghost Recon Future Soldier has arrived, sporting no in-game footage and barely any CG near the end there. But those who let their eyes wonder a bit will find a few clues as to some of the locations the shooter may take place in.

The announcement of the game came earlier today, with further platform confirmations a bit later. To sum it up, the game will be out this fall for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, DS and PSP.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that next to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, the newly-announced Ghost Recon Future Soldier will also be making its way to the Wii, PlayStation Portable as well as the DS. The CEO revealed the platforms during the company’s fiscal year 2009-10 Q3 conference call a few moments ago when asked to clarify on whether or not the game will be released on multiple consoles.

The game was announced earlier today, along with a multiplayer beta.

Update 3: The teaser trailer
Update 2: The game’s coming to the Wii, PSP, DS, too
Update: Looks like the PC version may be released at a different time. “PS3 and 360 coming out at the same time. More PC details later,” the game’s community developer Kimi Matsuzaki tweets.

Original story: ..as no doubt quickly deciphered from the image above, a new Ghost Recon game. Called Ghost Recon: Future Soldier as the trademark filing last year suggested, the title is once more in development at Ubisoft’s Paris studio which, after working on both GRAW and GRAW 2, is already well acquainted with the tactical shooter series.

The announcement doesn’t offer much information about the game except for the usual “unparalleled level of quality,” “state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes” chatter but it does bring news of a multiplayer beta. For a limited time, those who buy Splinter Cell: Conviction for the Xbox 360 will get access to the beta (no platforms specified) that will happen sometime this summer.

A teaser trailer for the game should be up on Xbox Live today and on the web tomorrow. And Ubisoft hints that there’s more news to come.

Future Soldier is out worldwide in holiday 2010 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Following the Australian rating for Ghost Recon Predator that we learned about a few months ago, Ubisoft has now gone and trademarked Ghost Recon Future Soldier in the US. Whether they’re working on several new Ghost Recon titles is anyone’s guess, though Ubisoft has been talking about only one new Ghost Recon title in their earnings reports and calls. So it may be they’re simply undecided on what to call the game they’ve been referring to as Ghost Recon 4, which is currently scheduled for a fiscal 2010-2011 release where it was pushed to in the summer.