Ubisoft is the hub for some of the most popular IPs in all of gaming. From the chaos of Far Cry to the world of Assassin's Creed, the titles developed by this Canadian founded company have become some of the most beloved in the entire medium. Long before Vaas taught players the definition of insanity or Ezio took his place within the Creed, Ubisoft had a number of other iconic mascots serving as the face of the company. Splinter Cell was one of these franchises, acting as a frontrunner for one of Ubisoft's biggest games in the early to mid 2000s.
Although at one time Splinter Cell was often placed right next to Metal Gear Solid in terms of spectacular action stealth gameplay, the series has since fallen from the high position it once enjoyed. Splinter Cell Blacklist is still the last mainline entry released all the way back in 2013 at the end of the PS3/360 era of games. Despite constant outcry and support from fans for a new adventure starring Sam Fisher year after year, Ubisoft remains tight lipped on the status of the franchise.
Gone Incognito
Just like a secret spy retiring from the life of danger and thrills, the Splinter Cell series itself seems to have taken an extended vacation from the gaming scene. It remains unclear exactly what the reason is for such a long hiatus from a franchise that was once considered to be among the biggest and best in Ubisoft's repertoire. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory was released back in 2005 and is often still cited as one of the best stealth video games of all time, cementing the legacy of the series in the larger gaming landscape. With such a coveted reputation, it would be expected that Ubisoft would want to keep the brand alive to some capacity.
With the only major recent news regarding Splinter Cell being the addition of Sam Fisher in Rainbow Six Siege and other games, many fans grow worried that Ubisoft has relegated the series to the background for good. Ubisoft has after all shown a major shift in its approach to game design in the last few years, taking a liking to massive open world RPG's like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising. Perhaps the fact of the matter is that the company just can't find a way to squeeze Splinter Cell into this new game design philosophy that permeates through most of its modern catalogue.
There are others that have made the claim that stealth action video games just aren't as popular anymore, with designers slowly inching away from the genre. A perfect example is something directly from Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed, which began as a stealth based adventure game but has slowly transitioned into sprawling open world action RPGs. The contrast between both gameplay styles is night and day, and possibly marks a shift to get with the times. On the flip side of the coin, however, titles like Hitman 3 and the reboot of Perfect Dark indicate that stealth action games are still alive and well, still maintaining a spot on the market.
The Big Guns
To dig deeper into an aforementioned point, Ubisoft is a vastly different company in terms of style and priorities than it was even at the beginning of the 2010s. At that point in time , Assassin's Creed was still in its infancy, Far Cry 3 wasn't out yet, and Watch Dogs wasn't even a blip on the radar. Additionally, the topic at hand, Splinter Cell, still seemed to be at the height of its popularity, with Chaos Theory only being a few years old and the intense violence of Splinter Cell Conviction, marking a darker, more brutal take on the series.
But as Assassin's Creed grew exponentially in popularity, essentially taking the place of Prince of Persia in Ubisoft's library, it seemed like a power shift was brewing among the many IPs at the company. It's just the nature of business, in wanting to have the biggest possible hits available to make the amount of resources and timed poured into the projects feel worthwhile. Ubisoft, while a big name in the industry, is of course still a company, run on numbers and profit gains. If it doesn't see a reason to risk hard earned money on a product that won't help sustain its success, then that series may be pushed aside in place of those that do. Splinter Cell Blacklist was a critical darling but failed to meet Ubisoft's expectations for sales, only shipping approximately two million units worldwide, translating to a lack of interest in the franchise from consumers from Ubisoft's point of view.
Honesty Over False Expectations
All of this history is to suggest that Splinter Cell definitely had a place in gaming history and still remains a beloved action stealth title for many. With each passing E3 showcase and Ubisoft Forward event, fans grow more and more weary from a lack of proper news and updates for the status of Sam Fisher. Regardless of whatever the reason may be, Ubisoft would do well to just be honest about plans for Splinter Cell, or rather lack thereof. The silence is anxiety inducing and continues to create a vicious cycle of fans hyping themselves up for absolutely no reason.
Even just a simple statement that the company has no plans at the current time for Splinter Cell would be upsetting, but still technically an answer to lay fan curiosity to rest for the time being. But as any avid gamer is aware of, this medium is always in flux, with dead franchises experiencing revivals and surprise releases being released left and right. If Ubisoft even has the slightest interest in the Splinter Cell brand, it should follow in the announcement of The Sands of Time Remake to test the waters of the IP while simultaneously throwing fans a bone.