After eight years, a new Splinter Cell game is finally in development. This report, from Tom Henderson for Video Game Chronicle, says that “development sources” claim that Ubisoft has greenlit a new Splinter Cell game in an effort to appease fans who have been increasingly frustrated with the recent mobile and VR entries in the franchise. According to the sources, this game is still in early development, and while they are unsure of which studios are working on the game, they state that it likely won’t be at Ubisoft Montreal, where several of the past Splinter Cell games were developed.
The last Splinter Cell game to hit store shelves was Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013, a sequel to Splinter Cell: Conviction. Since 2002, there have been several Splinter Cell games across numerous consoles, but since Blacklist, the protagonist Sam Fisher has only made cameo appearances in other games such as Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
It is unclear when this Splinter Cell game will even be announced, though, with the recent backlash from Ubisoft’s reveal of Ghost Recon Frontline and its playable closed test, which has already been delayed, it is safe to assume that they won’t rush into announcing something too soon. The game could be revealed at the Ubisoft Forward during E3 next year, but that’s a best-case scenario and would only make sense if the game’s development is currently already in full swing.
Splinter Cell is Ubisoft's most underrated property. They would be foolish not to bring it back!