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Ubisoft announces $100 top-tier edition of upcoming stealth action game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3; incentives include Harlequin jack-in-the-box collectible figure.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood–possibly the only franchise installment gamers will see until 2012–is due out during the holiday rush this November. Today, the French publisher took time to announce a $100 collector’s edition of the game, set to debut alongside the standard fare on November 16 for Xbox 360 and PS3 only.

Jack-in-the-box just earned a new meaning.

In addition to the game, those who pick up the collector’s edition at GameStop will walk away with a Harlequin Jack-In-The-Box collectible figure (pictured). At all other participating retailers, gamers will receive a different collectible, the Doctor Jack-In-The-Box.

The CE also includes two exclusive single-player maps (Aqueduct and Trajan Market), as well as a physical map of Rome, and the obligatory art book. Additionally, the premium package will include a disc that houses a “making of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” video, as well as the game’s official soundtrack, trailers, and a first look at the upcoming Assassin’s Creed comic book.

Those who preorder the title at GameStop for the PlayStation 3 can hop into a multiplayer beta beginning September 13.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is the third installment in Ubisoft’s stealth action series. It follows main character Ezio’s vengeful adventures through Rome, and is the first in the franchise to include a multiplayer component.

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Specialty retailer breaks $2 billion sales mark on strength of stacked March slate including Bad Company 2, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III; net profits top $75 million.

Global economic malaise be damned, GameStop continues to enjoy financial success in a difficult consumer climate. The gaming specialty retailer today released record-breaking results its first fiscal quarter.

The faces on these customers are almost as silly as GameStop’s record sales.

For the three months ended May 1, GameStop posted revenues of $2.08 billion, up more than 5 percent from the $1.98 billion it managed in the same period the year before. It is the first time GameStop has ever broken the $2 billion sales mark outside of the company’s holiday quarter.

The company’s performance could be largely attributed to spiking new game sales, which were up more than 13 percent year-over-year on a lineup of big-name releases in March. GameStop singled out Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and February’s BioShock 2 as particularly strong sellers.

GameStop also improved its bottom line for the quarter. The company posted a net income of $75.17 million, up nearly 7 percent from the $70.43 million profits it declared in the same stretch of the year prior.

While disappointing sales for April have analysts second guessing their previously optimistic predictions for the industry in 2010, GameStop’s outlook remains rosy. The company expects net profits to be up 9 to 17 percent year-over-year in the current quarter, 19 to 28 percent in the next quarter, and 14 to 18 percent overall for its fiscal 2010.

Those figures may be bolstered by some of the company’s latest initiatives. GameStop said that later this month it will begin marketing and selling downloadable content in a number of test stores, and certain markets will see the launch of a new customer loyalty program.

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Ubisoft’s clandestine action adventure featuring multiplayer mode will be coming to Xbox 360, PS3, PC later this year.

Ubisoft offered gamers a curious update on the Assassin’s Creed franchise in January, saying that the next “episode” in the series would introduce “an online multiplayer mode.” Though scant few other details on the project have been made available, Ubisoft has said that it will be a stand-alone product featuring Assassin’s Creed II protagonist Ezio. A URL registration from April also indicated that the game would be titled Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Ezio the Assassin has a posse. Photo Credit: Kotaku

Today, additional details about Assassin’s Creed’s journey into multiplayer emerged, courtesy of leaked GameStop promotional materials obtained by gaming blog Kotaku. “Live and breathe as Ezio, now a legendary master assassin, in his struggle against the Templar order. Lead your own brotherhood of assassins and strike at the heart of the enemy, Rome,” the promo reads.

“And for the first time, take part in an innovative multiplayer layer allowing you to embody an assassin of your choosing and define their killing style,” it continues. The promo, which Ubisoft confirmed for GameSpot as being authentic, also indicates that Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this fall. Additionally, those who preorder the game through GameStop will receive an “exclusive multiplayer character.”

Beyond Ezio, the promo features a number of eclectically dressed assassins, including one female figure. All wear guises that could be considered appropriate for Assassin’s Creed II’s Renaissance-era time period. Notably absent from the art, though, is original Assassin’s Creed protagonist Altair.

A Ubisoft representative also told GameSpot that more information concerning Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will arrive next week.

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