After years of rumors, which have intensified in recent weeks, the return of Splinter Cell has just been formalized by Ubisoft, which posted a long message on its official website . We learn that it will be a remake and that the Ubisoft Toronto studio is in charge of bringing Sam Fisher back to the forefront. In the interview which is given on the Ubisoft site, we learn that the first episode is remade from scratch, this time using the Snowdrop Engine, the famous engine that was used for The Division games in particular. The development teams are therefore starting from scratch when it comes to creating assets (modeling, sets, textures, etc.), while the story will remain the same, knowing that developers can allow themselves a few small changes or readjustments if necessary. Ubisoft Toronto also specifies that by choosing to make a remake of the first Splinter Cell, it is also the guarantee of reconnecting with the origins of the saga, with a more infiltration approach and therefore less “action” than the last episodes.
Development of the game is still in its early stages, and Ubisoft Toronton has even launched a recruitment campaign to invite motivated developers to join the project. It is therefore difficult to establish a release date, knowing that the platforms have not been communicated either. Faced with the announcement of this remake, many people wonder why Ubisoft does not directly launch into the creation of a sequel rather than the restoration of the very first episode? It should be understood that the Splinter Cell license, as prestigious as it is in the video game landscape, has lost a lot of notoriety. The latest episode, Blacklist, was released in 2013 and sales of the latter have not matched Ubisoft's ambitions. No doubt because the series got lost in the twists and turns of outright action play, forgetting its real DNA in the process. It is no coincidence that in recent years, we have observed many crossovers between Splinter Cell and other games in the Ubisoft catalog. It is both to test the waters and to observe whether there is a certain appetite from the public to see Sam Fisher come back. Likewise, by opting for a remake, Ubisoft limits breakage and makes economies of scale, because a real new episode obviously costs more than an already existing product to restore. Until we know more, here is the official announcement video.