Initially planned for release early next year, Splinter Cell: Conviction, the latest entry in the action-stealth series, has been delayed to Ubisoft’s 2009-2010 fiscal year, the publisher confirmed.

The game is now expected to arrive between April 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010. Quite interestingly, Ubisoft only noted Splinter Cell in the title, hinting that the subtitle may have been dropped altogether.

Conviction has now been delayed three times, with the original release date being Holiday 2007. It is in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.