Fans of the long-running stealth-action series Splinter Cell might finally have something to rejoice about. According to sources claiming to the project, a new Splinter Cell might be in development. The claim is that Ubisoft has finally greenlit the project, allowing a mainline entry in the series to enter development for the first time in almost a decade.
Disclaimer – This information has not been verified, therefore this is not factual.
VGC reported today that several sources involved in the development of the new Splinter Cell came forward to the website, claiming that Ubisoft gave the green light to begin development. While the series has continued to release games since Splinter Cell: Blacklist was released in 2013, those games have been mostly mobile and VR spin-offs of the series, much to the chagrin of fans. The upcoming Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a mash-up free-to-play shooter is also set to feature a character type based on the Splinter Cell series.
Currently, there is no news on which studio will be developing this new game. According to the sources that spoke with VGC its development is being handled by a studio outside of Ubisoft Montreal, and also not Ubisoft Toronto who developed the previous title in the series.
The game has also been suggested to be in the early stages of development, with the possibility of the game being officially unveiled within the next year. Last year CEO Yves Guillemot spoke about the series, stating it need to evolve before it could be brought back. He stated:
When you create a game, you have to make sure you will come with something that will be different enough from what you did before. 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.
It was also stated that another key factor for the delay to the return of the series was the success of other franchises such as Assassins Creed and Watch Dogs, as well as The Division. The 8 years between Blacklist and this potential new entry will be the longest gap between mainline entries in the Splinter Cell series since it was introduced in 2002.
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