According to rumours, we could be getting the first new Splinter Cell game in almost decade. And it may be out next year.
We wrote back in April about the long wait for a new Splinter Cell game. Now Ubisoft has apparently greenlit a sequel which may come out as early as next year. According to reporting in Video Games Chronicle, the game will be developed by a studio outside of their head base in Montreal.
Splinter Cell is part of the wider Tom Clancy brand. However, unlike other offshoots from this, Splinter Cell hasn’t has a new game since 2013. The gaming world has changed hugely since then. We’ve got several generations of consoles between us and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. In an interview with IGN last year, Yves Guillemot, CEO and co-founder of Ubisoft, gives a hint as to a possible reason for the gap:
“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.”
I’m sure this is something we can all empathise with. As much as we want new installments of our favourite games (or movies, books, albums etc etc), we are often frustrated when creators switch things up that we’d like about previous versions. On the other hand, nothing is more annoying than overly cautious fan-service sequels. It’s a tough line to tread – perhaps giving the game to a new studio will mean they can bring some freshness to the Splinter Cell series.
Will Splinter Cell help Ubisoft out of a jam?
Ubisoft has been struggling to deal with the raft of abuse allegations at the company. Maybe they’re hoping the announcement of a sequel to a fan favourite game will earn them some goodwill with fans. Several senior execs have left Ubisoft – but Guillemot has hung in there. In a statement last May, Guillemot claimed that:
“Considerable progress has been made, and we will continue to work hard with the ambition of becoming an exemplary workplace in the tech industry.”
However, in July a group of over 1,000 employees at Ubisoft said in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz that the “majority of our demands were sidelined and few of our points seem to have been addressed.”
Guillemot sent a staff email in response, which was posted on Twitter by Stephen Totilo:
Will Ubisoft be able to pull itself out of this tailspin? Will a new Splinter Cell game help? Only time will tell. Let us know what you think via our social media channels.
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Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft