A new report claims that Sam Fisher, star of Ubisoft's beloved and long-dormant Splinter Cell series, may be heading back for a new console adventure.
The report from Video Games Chronicle claims, citing people with knowledge of Ubisoft's plans, that a new Splinter Cell game is in production. The title is reportedly in the early stages of development and it's apparently being handled by a studio outside of Ubisoft's Montreal arm. The project is so early that an official announcement is only expected in 2022 at the soonest.
Ubisoft, when approached for comment, declined to say anything. Unfortunately, that can't be taken as confirmation that Sam Fisher will be lurking in the shadows again soon, but a new game would go a long way towards redeeming the franchise. The company's most recent reinterpretations of Splinter Cell were not especially well received. Ubisoft's efforts to take the series in the direction of mobile games and VR, with the now-defunct Tom Clancy's Elite Squad and the to-be-released Splinter Cell title for the Oculus platform, have not proved as popular as the publisher might have liked.
Even series protagonist Sam Fisher's recent cameo appearances could have gone better. The grizzled veteran of several mainline Splinter Cell titles spanning 2002 to 2013 recently turned up in Ubisoft's much-maligned Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which was heavily criticized at launch. Fans are also more than a little done with the constant teasers for new games in the series that never amount to anything.
Fans firmly believe that protagonist Sam Fisher has been left off to the side for far too long. Since Blacklist in 2013, Fisher has appeared in many forms -- as a Netflix anime character, as an operative in Rainbow Six: Siege, and even as an easter egg in a recent Far Cry title. But he hasn't appeared in the one place his presence is sorely wanted -- a proper Splinter Cell title.
Part of the reason for this might be, ironically, the game's fans. The forced removal of stealth in sections of Splinter Cell Blacklist didn't sit well with some players, something the publisher seems acutely aware of. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot previously said, "The last time we did a Splinter Cell, we had lots of pressure from all the fans actually saying, ‘Don’t change it, don’t do this, don’t do that,’ so some of the teams were more anxious to work on the brand."
"Now there are some things and some people that are now looking at the brand, taking care of the brand, so at one point you will see something, but I can’t say more than that," concluded Guillemot.
Source: VideoGamesChronicle
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