Now hush. Ubisoft says that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell ConViction (Windows, Xbox 360) has gone through some 'evolution,' which is why the company's first target release date - one aimed at late 2007 - was never met for the latest stealth action game in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series.

The Paris-based publisher replied to speculations amidst rumors that ConViction went "back to the drawing board," spurred by an article in the latest issue of Xbox 360 World magazine, and said that the redesign was not true.

Later on, the team behind ConViction wrote a letter to the Splinter Cell community and said:

It's been a while since our last message but we're happy to say that development of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction is continuing well and the game is shaping up nicely. The team here is very dedicated and focused to making sure that Conviction turns into an amazing experience of Splinter Cell.

There are lots of rumours flying around right now about Conviction's development status and we can tell you that the gameplay has evolved, similar to what happens in every game's development process, and you won't be disappointed. We take your feedback from these forums very seriously and, although we can't respond to each and every thing people say, we do take these posts into consideration when making the game.

Unfortunately we're not able to make Ubidays this year but in the forthcoming months we'll be back in touch to begin showing you this new installment of the Splinter Cell series.

Some time earlier, contact with the Splinter Cell community was severed after developer blog updates went dormant. No one knows what has happened to Splinter Cell ConViction's development, and the silence only reinforced speculations that the project was trashed for a total revamp from the ground up.

A financial press release from Ubisoft foresaw the sequel's arrival by late 2007. It was later reported that ConViction would arrive by 2008 - 2009. More updates as we get them.

Buy: [ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: ConViction (Windows), (Xbox 360) ]