Assassin’s Creed’s next launch has been delayed until spring 2023, say reports.

Ubisoft, the franchise’s owner, have pushed back the release date of their latest offering, which was first rumoured following reporting by Bloomberg back in February.

The game - which was codenamed Rift and to feature the character of Basim, from ‘Assassin's Creed Valhalla’ - was said to be an add on from the most recent series before it became its own new thing.

This comes after Ubisoft said they were delaying the release of ‘Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’ and “a smaller unannounced premium game” until at least April 2023, which is believed to be Rift.

Bloomberg reported this was due out in February but are now aiming for a release date between May and June next year.

With help from development from Bordeaux, the game is expected to be set in the Middle East and other areas, such as Baghdad. It is also set to make its debut before the as-yet-officially announced ‘Assassin's Creed Infinity’, which is a joint venture between Ubisoft Quebec and Ubisoft Montreal.

While other offerings have had been set in distinctive historical eras, this game is believed to be the beginning of the franchise’s games being set in multiple different timelines that can be increased over time.

Last week, there were reports that ‘Assassin’s Creed Infinity’ will feature a setting in Asia, such as Japan.

Ubisoft also shared that they intend to outline the future of the franchise in September at their multi-game showcase.