What you need to know
- Ubisoft is working on a Splinter Cell remake.
- It's in early development at Ubisoft Toronto.
- The game is using Ubisoft's proprietary Snowdrop engine.
Ubisoft announced on Wednesday that a Splinter Cell remake is beginning development. The effort is being led by Ubisoft Toronto, who are using the proprietary Snowdrop engine that's also being used in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Ubisoft's upcoming Star Wars game.
Creative director Chris Auty, producer Matt West, and technical producer Peter Handrino — all developers working on the remake — indicate that while this is a remake, not a remaster, it's meant to be faithful to series' stealth-based gameplay, noting that the phrase "Stealth Action Redefined" is the team's "North Star."
"With this remake, we are building a solid base for the future of Splinter Cell," Auty adds. Ubisoft drew criticism recently for introducing NFTs into some its games through Ubisoft Quartz, limited digital items that are only available for purchase to players who have a certain amount of gameplay time in a game.
The last mainline Splinter Cell game Ubisoft launched was Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013. Since then, protagonist Sam Fisher has appeared in a variety of crossovers, including in Rainbow Six: Siege and Ghost Recon: Wildlands. A recent report indicated that a new Splinter Cell game was in development in Ubisoft as part of a plan to win over fans, even as Ubisoft developers are reportedly unhappy with management, with ongoing claims of sexual harassment and abuse.
Given how the game is in the "very earliest stages of development," there's no confirmed platforms right now, though it seems safe to expect that the Splinter Cell remake will launch on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and PS5.
