Assassin's Creed delayed in Australia and New Zealand

Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft's highly anticipated third-person historical action title, has had its retail launch in Australia and New Zealand pushed back one week. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were slated to go on sale this Thursday, but the game will now go on sale on Wednesday, November 21, Australia-wide.

The delay will impact only Australian and New Zealand gamers, with the game set to launch in North America on November 13 as planned.

In a statement sent to Australian retailers, Ubisoft blamed seasonal issues for the delay.

"Due to manufacturing and freight difficulties during this time of year, Ubisoft Australia & New Zealand were unable to receive their full allocation of Assassins Creed stock required to fulfill all Day One orders," the statement said.

"In an effort to treat all retailers and consumers fairly, Ubisoft will wait until the balance of stock is received in our warehouse before we ship the game."