Assassin's Creed 2 has only been available for about two months but, thanks to a financial press release from Ubisoft, the Assassin's Creed 3 speculation is about to take off.

In general, the press release, which also detailed the delay of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction into April 2010, presented lowered sales targets for Ubisoft's third-quarter and full-year (2009-2010), as well as reassured investors that the publisher has a strong set of titles in the pipeline.

With the phenomenal success of Assassin's Creed 2, it's no surprise that Assassin's Creed 3 was one of the titles featured in the press release. That said, there was one major surprise associated with the title - online multiplayer:

According to the press release:

"The 2010-11 fiscal year will see a greater number of franchise releases than in 2009-10, including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, a new game in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands, Driver, Raving Rabbids 4 and a new episode of Assassin’s Creed, which will be the first in the series to have an online multiplayer mode."

Of course this is some of the earliest information anyone has received about Assassin's Creed 3 - so who knows if the multiplayer element will make it into the final build. It's hard to imagine, given the actual fighting mechanics in the title, though assassination objectives have never been more appropriate in an online multiplayer match.

One thing is for sure, with the potential for online multiplayer, the speculation surrounding Assassin's Creed 3 will no longer just be centered around what time period the game will take place in.

How do you feel about multiplayer in Assassin's Creed 3? What else would you like to see in the next installment?

Assassin's Creed 3 is tentatively scheduled for release in 2011.