Ubisoft has confirmed that Driver: San Francisco has been delayed until 2011, citing that the release window for game wasn’t comfortable for them due to “the competitive market at Christmas”. In other news, Splinter Cell: Conviction has sold 1.9 million units. That helped Just Dance, Assassin’s Creed 2 and Avatar to pick up €9 million more than the €145 million the company estimated they would make on sales for Q1 2010-11. Estimated sales for the first quarter of 2010-11 (ending 30th June), hit above €160 million. That’s an increase of 93% on the €83 million the company picked up in Q1 2009-10.

Ubisoft head honcho Yves Guillemot said: “Our sales performance this quarter reflects the success of several titles and attests to the quality of our game catalogue. It’s proof of Ubisoft’s ability to make its mark in an ever demanding videogames sector.”

“This year’s E3 further confirmed the potential for our end-of-year line-up, demonstrating how varied and distinct our offering is. Proven franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Driver or Ghost Recon will offer unique experiences for seasoned gamers. In particular, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood should allow us to reaffirm our position as one of the industry’s best multiplayer developers.”

“The pre-orders are the strongest ever seen, already 20 per cent above those from the same period last year, even before the awards announced following E3. In the casual segment, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, Just Dance 2 or Michael Jackson: The Experience, which has generated particularly promising media coverage, are expected to attract a large number of casual players. Finally, thanks to the investments made, we will offer a rich line-up of both online games and new titles for the upcoming hardware launches this fiscal year.”