Once upon a time, popular Splinter Cell titles helped make Ubisoft a household name among gamers. Now, the company has officially announced a Splinter Cell remake.
It looks like the remake will be a nice mix of old and new. For example, it was developed by Ubisoft Toronto and they provided us with the excellent Splinter Cell: Blacklist. But the game was created from the ground up using the new Snowdrop engine that helped power up Division games and will also power high-profile titles like Ubisoft’s upcoming (and hitherto relatively mysterious) Star Wars game and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
On the Ubisoft website, producer Matt West explained why they decided to remake Splinter Cell instead of simply remastering the original. “I think it has to be a remake instead of a remaster,” he said. “While we’re still in the very early stages of development, what we’re trying to do is make sure the spirit of the early games remains intact, in all the ways that gave Splinter Cell its identity.”
And for better or for worse, that means the new Splinter Cell will be a linear, stealth-focused adventure in contrast to Ubisoft’s latest open world offerings. According to game creative director Chris Auty, the team is really supporting the stealth mechanics. “It’s safe to say that a lot of us on the team are stealth purists and we’re behind that level of seriousness when it comes to the kind of mechanics and the kinds of things we want to see in this game,” he said he said.
Continuing, he worked out some key elements. “It is important for us to preserve the sense of mastery by supporting players who observe situations, make their plans, use their gadgets and outwit the enemy in creative ways to meet the challenges they are presented with,” she said. “Ideally, they end up coming out the other side without anyone realizing you were there. That’s the essence of Splinter Cell.”
According to West, their goal is simple: the team wants to “capture the essence of when we were all playing the original games”. And producer Peter Handrinos insisted that there are veterans of the franchise returning to create the new game alongside new creative talent, “so we’re going to have a great mix of people.”
Ubisoft is planning this game to effectively relaunch the franchise. As Auty says, “With this remake, we are building a solid foundation for the future of Splinter Cell.” This potentially means sequel to this game to pair with the Splinter Cell VR game currently in development.
Are you excited about this remake or is the time of Splinter Cell over? Let us know in the comments!
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