There seems to be a lot currently going on at Ubisoft. The company is busy withAssassin’s Creed, which hasAssassin’s Creed Infinity, as well asAssassin’s Creed Nexus, which is a VR game, on the way. Gamers can also look forward toSkull and Bones, and the city-building gameThe Settlers.
Things have also been looking hopeful forSplinter Cellfans 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, andSplinter Cellmay be negatively impacted by this. Just whenSplinter Cellis 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 includeAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a game that was supposed to launch alongsideAvatar: 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 beAssassin’s Creed Rift, a game which was leaked by Jason Schreier and is supposed to be a stealth-based game starring Basim fromAssassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Although Ubisoft’s release schedule may look thin, it does have some titles lined up, includingAssassin’s Creed Infinity, anewMario + Rabbidsgame, andSkull 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 isTom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, a franchise that was just beginning to see a revival.
Splinter Cell’s Murky Future
TheTom Clancy’s Splinter Cellseries began in 2002 and it featured stealth gameplay inspired by theMetal Gearseries. Though the games enjoyed popularity, there has not been a new mainline entry since 2013’sTom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Things seemed to be taking a turn in 2017 when Guillemot began giving out hints that a newSplinter Celltitle was on the way. In December 2021, Ubisoft finally confirmed that it was working on a remake of the firstSplinter Cellgame. 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 theSplinter Cellseries to VR exclusively for the Oculus VR.
Unfortunately, during the aforementioned investor call, it was revealed thatSplinter Cell VRandGhost Recon Frontlineare among the games that have been canceled. This does not bode well forSplinter 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 likeAvatarandAssassin’s CreedInfinity. However, it may spell doom forSplinter Cell, which was just getting a second shot at life.
