Things have also been looking hopeful for Splinter Cell fans recently, as Ubisoft announced a few projects from the franchise including VR ports and a remake. Unfortunately, recent developments at Ubisoft may quash those hopes, as the company is cutting down expenses, and Splinter Cell may be negatively impacted by this. Just when Splinter Cell is getting a second shot at life, it may be headed to the grave again.

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Ubisoft’s Recent Developments

Ubisoft has managed dozens of franchises, though not all of them have managed to endure. Unfortunately, it appears that Ubisoft is entering an era that will decide which of its currently active franchises will make it into the future. In a recent investor call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that the company would be cutting back expenses to what is essential. As part of this, the company will also be directing its resources towards projects that have higher priority, and as such, the development of some projects has been stopped.

Games that have been delayed include Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a game that was supposed to launch alongside Avatar: The Way of Water. It was also revealed that a small premium title has also been delayed, and it has been speculated that this game may be Assassin’s Creed Rift, a game which was leaked by Jason Schreier and is supposed to be a stealth-based game starring Basim from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Although Ubisoft’s release schedule may look thin, it does have some titles lined up, including Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a new Mario + Rabbids game, and Skull and Bones. However, Ubisoft’s decision to cut down on expenses does cast a dark shadow on several of the company’s franchises. One of these is Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, a franchise that was just beginning to see a revival.

Splinter Cell’s Murky Future

The Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series began in 2002 and it featured stealth gameplay inspired by the Metal Gear series. Though the games enjoyed popularity, there has not been a new mainline entry since 2013’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Things seemed to be taking a turn in 2017 when Guillemot began giving out hints that a new Splinter Cell title was on the way. In December 2021, Ubisoft finally confirmed that it was working on a remake of the first Splinter Cell game. It was revealed that the game would be made using Snowdrop Engine, allowing the game to make use of current-generation features. This comes alongside plans to port the Splinter Cell series to VR exclusively for the Oculus VR.

Unfortunately, during the aforementioned investor call, it was revealed that Splinter Cell VR and Ghost Recon Frontline are among the games that have been canceled. This does not bode well for Splinter Cell, and it suggests that it is a low-priority franchise for Ubisoft, which isn’t entirely unexpected when it has lain dormant for so many years. While Ubisoft has yet to announce anything regarding the remake yet, it would be wise for fans to not get their hopes up.

Ubisoft is capable of churning out masterpieces when it directs its talented developers in the right direction, and it appears that the company is attempting to do so by shifting focus away from lower-priority projects. This could benefit projects like Avatar and Assassin’s Creed Infinity. However, it may spell doom for Splinter Cell, which was just getting a second shot at life.

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