VR headset owners might be able to add a new Splinter Cell to their gaming wishlists soon. Companies with interest in VR (such as Sony, Valve, and Oculus) have been steadily adding to their libraries for the past few years to showcase the medium as the potential future of gaming. Recently, even Nintendo has thrown their hat into the ring as more players are opting in. Part of the strategy of bringing in players from all of these companies has been taking existing franchises and moving them into the realm of VR.
Fans have been waiting for news of the next Sam Fisher outing for years. Despite its popularity, there hasn't been a new Splinter Cell game since 2013, nor has there been a confirmation that one is coming in all that time. There have been many rumors and even Easter eggs in other games, but none have resulted in even as much as a trailer. It appears that the wait may finally be ending, but not in the way many fans expected.
According to The Information, several new games may be coming exclusively to the Oculus headset, and that includes a new Splinter Cell VR adventure. Oculus and its parent company Facebook have been quietly buying studios and exclusive rights to VR games for years, but Splinter Cell and a new Assassin's Creed VR game are the biggest moves to date. Although the deals (which supposedly included Mark Zuckerberg himself) are reportedly confirmed, there's no information available about where the potential game fits in the timeline, how it'll play, or how far they are in development.
This reported move from Facebook and Oculus is one of many that all companies invested in the viability of VR have been making for a while now. Sony has purchased exclusive rights to big games like Skyrim VR and others, as well as smaller, more intimate endeavors for PSVR. Valve has bought into new exclusives, and there are even rumors of the company reaching into its vault of long-dormant franchises to shine them up for new VR games. Facebook seems ready to take the next big step with Oculus, and is making the deals to confirm its commitment.
Fans have been ready and waiting for a new Splinter Game for a long time now, but it's unclear if this is the version they wanted. There isn't a lot of information to go off of, but new Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed games in VR would be among the most ambitious projects revealed recently. Other franchises, such as Arkham VR, have dipped their toes into the world of virtual reality, but mostly as experiments or tech demos. At this point, most fans wouldn't be satisfied paying full price for a new Splinter Cell game that's only a couple of hours long. This deal is welcome news to the fans who were afraid the franchise was completely forgotten, but time will tell if players are ready and willing to step into the virtual shoes of their favorite infiltrator.
Source: The Information