For years now fans have asking, begging, demanding a new Splinter Cell, and yet it seemed like it was never going to happen. Ubisoft had moved onto the open-world format, and linear stealth games just weren’t in their wheelhouse anymore. Well, surprise! Today it was announced the original Splinter Cell is being remade by Ubisoft Toronto (developers of the last game in the series, Splinter Cell: Blacklist).
The Splinter Cell remake will be built with Massive Entertainment’s Snowdrop Engine, which also powers games like The Division 2 and the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Perhaps most exciting, Ubisoft has confirmed that the remake will stick to the game’s origins as a linear hardcore stealth action game – no attempt will be made to turn it into an open world or live-service title. Check out an announcement video celebrating the history of Splinter Cell, below.
The Splinter Cell remake is still very early in development, so not many details are being revealed yet, but producer Matt West outlined Ubisoft Toronto’s approach to the project…
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. 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. So, as 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. How do we make sure that new fans are able to pick up the controller and dive right in, and fall in love with the game and the world right from the get-go?
Platforms and a release window for the Splinter Cell remake have yet to be revealed. What do you think? Hyped for Sam Fisher’s long-awaited return?
