Former executive producer Mark Rubin responded to the recent Splinter Cell rumors, denying claims that the studio was working on such a title. Fans have been clamoring for a new Splinter Cell game for years now and while Ubisoft has seemingly strayed away from such a thing, fans may have been closer to a brand-new game than they likely realized.
In a recent Bloomberg interview, AdHoc Studio Co-Founder Nick Herman revealed that prior to opening the studio, he and other former Telltale Games developers were working at Ubisoft's San Francisco office. The team was developing, at that time, a secret project that Herman revealed to be a new Splinter Cell game, though Ubisoft's focus on GaaS style games caused the project to pivot to what would become the online shooter XDefiant. The news caught the attention of many, including the former executive producer at the studio who had a different view of those events.
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Mark Rubin Pushes Back Against Splinter Cell Rumors
Following the rumors of the Splinter Cell pivot, former XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin took to social media to offer his perspective on the story. Ultimately, Rubin denies the report, saying that the team was not working on a new Splinter Cell project and instead had been working on an ambitious game that just wasn't fun at that point in time. Rubin went on to say that once the project was canceled, the team was free to pitch their ideas, ultimately leading towards an online arena shooter that ultimately became XDefiant.
Rubin leaves the door open for the possibility that Nick Herman and a group were thinking about working on or pitching the idea of a new Splinter Cell title before Rubin came on board, but since he was at Ubisoft San Francisco, it was never a thing at the studio. Rubin also went on to relay his experience working with Ubisoft leadership, praising them for being open to what the studio wanted to do, though lamenting that he wished XDefiant used an external engine to reduce the bugs and issues.
Whatever the case may be, it clearly wasn't meant to be either way. Herman went on to found AdHoc studios where they were able to land a big hit with Dispatch. Rubin's team found a bit of success with XDefiant for a few months before things went a bit sideways for the game, resulting in the end of development and eventual shutdown of the game.
As for Splinter Cell fans, they appear to be back in a state of limbo as there hasn't been a lot of progress for the series since the last mainline game release of Splinter Cell Blacklist. Main protagonist Sam Fisher would go on to cameo in a lot of other Ubisoft franchises, like Rainbow Six Siege, as well as feature in a well-received Netflix animated series. However, the Splinter Cell remake has been embroiled in development issues after being announced in 2021, losing multiple directors, and being relatively quiet on meaningful updates.
