Assassin's Creed 4 in 2013?

The next entry in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series could include co-op play and be on store shelves as early as next year. The Gaming Liberty has obtained a survey reportedly stemming from Ubisoft that gauges fan interest in a range of new features and ideas for the series.

The survey reportedly asks a series of questions covering players' thoughts on Assassin's Creed III, including their enjoyment of or dissatisfaction with its gameplay, combat, and story. Additionally, the survey asks what players might enjoy from a future Assassin's Creed installment, such as whether or not they would like to see a future game feature Desmond or Connor.

Additionally, one question is squarely focused on co-op. It asks if players would enjoy "the possibility for a friend to join the game in order to help" with missions, puzzles, and other endeavors. Though the Assassin's Creed franchise has introduced multiplayer, no game in the series has yet featured co-op.

Lastly, the questionnaire asks how likely respondents would be to purchase the next Assassin's Creed game if it were released next year.

A Ubisoft representative told GameSpot, "Assassin’s Creed is an ongoing franchise that we’re continuing to evolve and part of that process is always gauging gamers’ interests."

Assassin's Creed III launched in October and sold 3.5 million units during its first week, up 100 percent over comparable sales of last year's game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. For more, check out GameSpot's review of Assassin's Creed III.