Assassin's Creed series taking 'breather' in 2011

Ubisoft achieved near overnight success with its all-new Assassin's Creed franchise in 2007, selling some 6 million units in less than six months. The publisher wasted little time ramping up development for 2009's top-rated, top-selling Assassin's Creed II and even less time with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the multiplayer-enabled installment due this fall. However, it would appear as is if Brotherhood will be the last Assassin's Creed for at least a year.

"I don't think there's going to be an Assassin's Creed in 2011," Ubisoft Montreal producer Jean-Francois Boivin told Eurogamer."I think we're going to let it breathe a bit and really focus on bringing something new and exciting for the next time around. This [Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood] is the end of Ezio's story. This is it."

Further, Boivin addressed the perceived danger of oversaturating the market by too quickly releasing new installments in a franchise. However, he also noted that letting a franchise lie fallow for too long can cool enthusiasm among gamers.

"I believe that this license needs a breather. You can't plough a field every year. Once every three years--or once every something--you have to let it breathe. You have to let the minerals back in. I think it's the same thing with any license, really. I don't think we do a service to this license if we pull a Duke Nukem on people, you know what I'm saying? It's hard to answer."

For more on the series' latest installment, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, check out GameSpot's E3 2010 Ubisoft Booth Tour (embedded below).