Microsoft and Crytek discussed the possibility of the Crysis 2 developer going first-party just after the launch of Far Cry.

At the time, Crytek was about to create Crysis for PC. Microsoft corporate vice-president Phil Spencer told OXM it was decided the Xbox 360 manufacturer had enough shooters in a similar genre, so let the idea slide.

"The first time we met with [Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli] and the team was around seven or eight years ago, and we started talking about what it'd mean for them to become first-party," Spencer said.

"And it was a process of what do you guys want to do, what's unique for us, and they were just going to do Crysis, and they'd just come out of Far Cry, and we said we've probably got enough military future shooters, so go do that."

Crytek is currently hard at work on Xbox 360 exclusive, Kinect-fuelled first-person brawler Ryse.

"Then they came up with this idea around Ryse, and now they've really fallen in love with Kinect, and it's a perfect marriage for us," Spencer continued.

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Evidence of Far Cry 3 mounts, and rumour suggests Ubisoft may reveal the new game at E3 next month.

Internet bloodhound Superannuation sniffed numerous mentions of the project online.

Stuntman Lee Villeneuve's CV cites past work on Far Cry 3, and stuntman Stephane Julien also mentions working on Far Cry 3.

One Ubisoft programmer notes on LinkedIn that he's beavering away on an "Undisclosed First Person Shooter" for PS3 and Xbox 360 that has "exotic gameplay", "scripted events" and "cinematics". Colleague Miguel Angel Sepulveda, an animation and AI engineer at Ubisoft, calls his current project as an "Unannounced Action AAA" game for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Ubisoft 3D animator Marc Echave goes one further, noting Far Cry 3 among other confirmed and released Ubisoft projects.

All of this after a Ubisoft writer confirmed Far Cry 3 and online shops accidentally put Collector's Editions of the game up for sale.

Coincidence?

"We are not commenting on speculations and rumours," Ubisoft told Eurogamer this afternoon.

Crysis developer Crytek created the Far Cry series. The original Far Cry - a real head-turner at the time (2004) - earned 8/10 on Eurogamer. Xbox game Far Cry Instincts took the tropical survival bent a step further and earned another 8/10. An Xbox 360 conversion of that same game earned 7/10.

Far Cry 2 (2008) was a different kettle of fish, owing to it being an internally developed Ubisoft game. Gone was the tropical environment, replaced instead by harsh Africa-inspired bush and malaria. Far Cry 2 was huge, attractive and refreshingly mature. Christian Donlan dug out an 8/10 for Far Cry 2 on Eurogamer.

He wrote: "Far Cry 2 is unforgettable rather than perfect, then; brilliant, frustrating, sombre and comical, it offers freedom within extremely curtailed limits, and strives to treat its players like adults."

Video: Far Cry 2 on PS3 and Xbox 360.

New multiplayer maps and modes are on the way for Ubisoft's recent real time strategy effort, R.U.S.E.

The Manhattan Project Pack includes three exclusive multiplayer maps and two additional multiplayer modes.

In the Nuclear War mode, all prototype factories and upgrades will be unlocked from the beginning, allowing for some particularly explosive show-downs.

Total War, sees you starting in 1939 with all units specific to that era. You'll then unlock 1942 units and 1945 units step by step.

The three new maps are Twilight of the Gods (2 vs. 2), Vesuvio (2 vs. 2) and Guns and Tulips (3 vs. 3).

Ubisoft is clearly getting in the Christmas mood early – the Manhattan Project Pack will be free to all when it launches some time in December.

A charm offensive is probably a good idea, mind. Ubisoft's financial report earlier this week revealed that the strategy title had under-performed since its September release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Ubisoft's delayed Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier and Driver San Francisco.

Both games were due to be released some time in the first three months of 2011. Now, they are included in Ubisoft's 2011-12 line-up, which runs from the beginning of April 2011 to the end of March 2012.

No explanation was provided by the French company in its first-half 2010-11 financial results.

It did say, however, that H.A.W.X. 2 and R.U.S.E. "performed below expectations".

For the first six months of the financial year, Ubisoft made a net loss of €89.8 million - 34.5 per cent worse than the loss it made on the same period last year. That sounds bad, but sales were up an impressive 57 per cent to €260 million.

Of those sales, both Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 and R.U.S.E. performed "below expectations", as mentioned, but Wii smash hit Just Dance fuelled solid back catalogue sales.

And Ubisoft enjoyed a twofold increase in digital sales off the back of Scott Pilgrim on XBLA and PSN, downloadable content and sales of PC games.

Looking forward to the rest of the quarter, Ubisoft pointed to its impressive release slate of games it reckons should rake in the cash.

There's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, due out this week. Just Dance 2 is already doing the business. Then there's Raving Rabbids Travel in Time for the Wii, Michael Jackson The Experience for the Wii, DS and PSP, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, MotionSports and Fighters Uncaged for Xbox 360 Kinect.

CEO Yves Guillemot said: "Ubisoft's outlook is extremely encouraging for the upcoming Christmas period. Just Dance 2, launched in mid-October, is the Wii phenomenon of the moment, with sales up 75 per cent.

"Assassin's Creed Brotherhood has the potential to outstrip the exceptional performance of the previous episodes, with pre-orders up 25 per cent over Assassin's Creed II. The initial reviews have been extremely positive, praising the breadth of the single-player experience as well as the game's revolutionary multiplayer mode.

"Michael Jackson The Experience and Raving Rabbids Travel in Time are also expected to contribute to our success in the coming quarter, which looks set to see record performances. We are also encouraged by the very positive early performance of Kinect and the good showing of our games for this system, especially Your Shape: Fitness Evolved which is the best selling third-party game for Kinect in the United States."

Buried within its financial results press release is a mention that Ubisoft is "taking measures to adapt its structure to the major changes in the industry by reorganizing the roles and operations of its studios, which has resulted in the termination of certain projects".

It fails to mention which projects have been cancelled.