The Assassin's Creed franchise will enter a new era on October 30, 2012, Ubisoft head Yves Guillemot revealed during a financial briefing, but the company remains tight-lipped about the content of Assassin's Creed III.

The first Assassin's Creed took in the 12th century Holy Land, while Assassin's Creed II and its sequels Brotherhood and Revelations started off in Renaissance period Italy before ending up in 16th century Constantinople.

A new era necessitates a new hero, with some rumors pointing toward an American adventure during the late 1700s as revolutionary leaders rise and fall.

Activision's fondness for launching annual Call of Duty installments during the second week of November is well established.

By moving the Assassin's Creed III date forward from a traditional mid-November launch, Ubisoft can hope to get the jump on Activision's near-guaranteed goldmine. Electronic Arts is expected to repeat its Battlefield 3 strategy by naming an October 2012 date for Medal of Honor 2.

Assassin's Creed III is confirmed for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The franchise is to appear on Wii U, Nintendo's new console for 2012, but whether that will be as AC III remains to be seen.

Official website: assassinscreed.com