After years of rumours and speculation, Splinter Cell is officially happening and it will be a full remake built from the ground up.
As we know, the last game in this iconic series was Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013. Since that time fans have been desperate to see Sam Fisher return in his own new game. Instead of having to make do as a cameo in other Ubisoft properties.
Detailed in a Ubisoft blog post, the remake is being developed by Ubisoft Toronto, the team behind Splinter Cell: Blacklist. So, this remake is in the hands of those already familiar with the series. It will also be powered by Ubisoft’s in-house Snowdrop engine.
However, Ubisoft Toronto is currently hiring developers to work on the remake, so it’s worth keeping in mind that production has barely begun. That said, it’s still nice to know that Ubisoft has been listening and the iconic stealth series is returning.
Contrary to previous rumours, this Splinter Cell remake will not be open world. Some will be pleased to know that this will be a linear experience to make sure: “the spirit of the early games remains intact.”
A stealth classic modernised
“To me, a remake takes what you’d do in a remaster and goes a little bit further with it. The original Splinter Cell has a lot that was amazing and revolutionary at the time it came out, 19 years ago,” said producer Mark West.
“The gaming public now has an even more refined palate. So, I think it kind of has to be a remake as opposed to a remaster. Although we’re still in the very earliest stages of development, what we’re trying to do is make sure the spirit of the early games remains intact, in all of the ways that gave early Splinter Cell its identity.”
West continued: “we’re building it from the ground up, we’re going to update it visually, as well as some of the design elements to match player comfort and expectations, and we are going to keep it linear like the original games, not make it open world.”
At the time of writing, it’s been about 8 years since Blacklist was released and I think it will be approaching 10 years by the time this Splinter Cell remake has arrived.
Are you excited to see the proper return of Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell? Furthermore, do you hope that Michael Ironside will return to reprise his role? Let us know your thoughts across our social media channels.
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Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft