After eight long years in hibernation, the Splinter Cell franchise may finally be stepping out from the shadows. According to a report from VGC, Ubisoft has greenlit a new Splinter Cell game for early production, potentially bringing the classic stealth series back into the limelight with what could b e the first real Splinter Cell game since 2013's Blacklist.
Naturally, fans of Splinter Cell are excited to hear any substantive news regarding the return of the franchise. With cameos from Sam Fisher in other Ubisoft titles like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, it had become a recurring joke among fans that Fisher would appear in any Ubisoft game except his own. A new Splinter Cell game could finally change all that.
However, there are a number of reasons some might feel hesitant about Ubisoft resurrecting the Splinter Cell series. The Ubisoft of this past generation has been inconsistent with the quality of its games. While many of its franchises have undergone drastic changes, not all its changes have been met with universal praise. Ubisoft has shown a pattern of chasing gaming trends with an emphasis on live-service titles, microtransactions, and open worlds that some have criticized for feeling overly formulaic. Even with their better-received titles like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, there is sometimes a sense of creative bankruptcy going on at Ubisoft around certain projects.
Ubisoft's Handling Of Tom Clancy Brand Doesn't Bode Well For Splinter Cell
Ghost Recon Frontline's trailer is just the most recent example of how a beloved series has lost its sense of identity given Ubisoft’s current direction. Like Splinter Cell, the Ghost Recon series operated under the Tom Clancy branding and emphasized action-orientated gameplay with a tactical edge. However, when Ubisoft opted to take the Ghost Recon games to an open-world setting, so much of what made that particular series special was stripped away.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the latest entry in the series, was criticized for stripping out or dumbing down the tactical gameplay elements Ghost Recon was known for. On top of that, Breakpoint was also critically panned for excessive microtransactions, a repetitive open world, a needless loot system, and always-online connectivity. In short, without the elements that made Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon special, Breakpoint had become just another bog-standard open-world Ubisoft game.
In the past, Splinter Cell games have excelled at well-designed linear levels that provided players different infiltration opportunities and stealth-based challenges. The best Splinter Cell levels have generally had a distinct sense of character and provided all the tools a player needed from the start, not tools earned through grinding or side missions. Switching to an open-world format would go against the very core of what makes Splinter Cell so special as a stealth-focused game.
What happened to Ghost Recon could very well be the same fate that a new Splinter Cell faces if Ubisoft doesn’t learn from its past missteps. With the recent announcement of Ghost Recon: Frontlines, Ubisoft’s new battle royale attempt, that seems unlikely. While details are sparse on a potential new Splinter Cell game, Ubisoft’s history suggests that an open-world Splinter Cell is more than a little likely.
However, despite everything, there is still a chance for a great Splinter Cell game to return that is faithful to the spirit of the series. A new Splinter Cell game in the vein of the original titles built for the new consoles could be an absolute treat. Even if Ubisoft is worried about how a single-player-focused, linear stealth game would fare in today’s market, they just need to look at the critical success that Arkane’s Deathloop enjoyed this year. There is a void in the market for quality, stealth-focused games that Splinter Cell could satisfy, but it will all depend on whether Ubisoft can learn to break old habits.