Let's say you're one of the biggest publishers in the video game industry and your biggest franchise has gone to yearly releases. In my mind, you'll need to be planning every game three years in advance. Script, engine, and development documents all need to be in order so that the game keep getting better. Of course, a real-world date playing a key role in your franchise will also dictate a few things.
That's why Eurogamer is reporting that Desmond Miles' Assassin's Creed epic will be ending in 2012 Assassin's Creed III. Creative Lead Alexandre Amancio explained:
In Assassin's Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot of December 2012. That's fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point. It would be stupid of us to be centering a game on a semi-reality and then have that conclusion happen after that date in real life.
Let's just hope the world doesn't actually end so that everyone can play the game. The next Assassin's Creed adventure, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, will be available November 15th for Xbox 360 and PS3 and December for PC.
[Source]