New Splinter Cell game reportedly in development at Ubisoft

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Image credit: Ubisoft)

What you need to know

  • Splinter Cell is a Ubisoft franchise of stealth-action games starring Sam Fisher.
  • The last mainline entry in the series launched back in 2013.
  • Ubisoft is reportedly working on a new Splinter Cell game that could be announced in 2022.

According to a report from Tom Henderson at VGC, Ubisoft is working on a new mainline entry in the Splinter Cell franchise, which stars agent Sam Fisher. While a VR game was already announced and a TV series is happening with Netflix, this would be the first major entry in the series since Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013.

That game notably underperformed against Ubisoft's expectations, selling around two million copies after three months. There's been no big games since then, though iconic Sam Fisher voice actor Michael Ironside has returned for crossover events in other Ubisoft games, such as Ghost Recon: Wildlands. The report indicates that this game is meant to be part of a plan for winning over fans and generating good PR, even as employees are still unhappy with management in the wake of ongoing sexual harassment claims.

The report also notes that the game is early in development, though it's possible that it could be revealed in 2022. It's also unknown exactly which studios are working on the new Splinter Cell but some sources think it's a team (or teams) outside of the Montreal hub.

Currently, Ubisoft has several major games coming up, mostly focused on multiplayer and games-as-a-service. In addition to Rainbow Six Extraction, which is slated for January 2022, the company is also working on titles like XDefiant and Assassin's Creed Infinity, the latter of which is early in development and is meant to be the next major evolution in the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.