Ubisoft has been struggling, but at least one project is safe (for now). The Splinter Cell Remake is apparently still in development, and according to a recent leak, it even has a planned release date.
Ubisoft is in crisis right now. Star Wars Outlaws was poorly-received, AC Shadows was delayed, and their stock price recently plummeted. So, what can they do? Well, besides planning to release a whopping ten Assassin's Creed games in five years, they also have some promising "return to the roots" ideas in the pipeline, including a remake of the original Splinter Cell.
Since its reveal back in 2021, we have only heard vague details about this project. Now, we have an estimated release window.
Finally, good news for Ubisoft: Splinter Cell development apparently well underway
As first reported by Insider Gaming, a source at Ubisoft has revealed that the Splinter Cell remake should be released around 2026, and is being built on the Snowdrop engine (as have all modern Ubisoft games, like Outlaws and Avatar). They also spoke to the game’s producer Matt West on record, who said:
As we’re building it from the ground up, we’re going to update it visually, as well as some of the design elements to match player comfort and expectations, and we are going to keep it linear like the original games, not make it open world. The gameplay experience we are targeting is directly tied to what we want players to feel, to capture the essence back when we were all playing the original games.
This is fantastic new. Splinter Cell was an excellent game, and we'll be getting it properly remade; not just graphically updated, but also given gameplay improvements for a modern audience. It's also a delight to hear they want to "capture the essence" of the original, which should mean properly implemented stealth.
Are you old enough to have played the original Splinter Cell, and if so, are you as hyped as us about the remake?