Initially released in 2002, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell wore its influences on its sleeve and offered up one of the most compelling stealth-centric experiences of the sixth console generation. Unfortunately, Ubisoft’s ex-marquee franchise has been sidelined since 2013’s Blacklist, but recent rumors suggest that a new open-world Splinter Cell installment is currently in the works and that it will borrow from the publisher’s semi-controversial design philosophies.

Per a tweet from gaming journalist Tom Henderson, Ubisoft is in the early stages of developing the first mainline installment in the Splinter Cell series in eight years. According to Henderson, the new game will feature an open-world environment and play like “a more stealthy version of Assassin’s Creed.”

Henderson also mentions that the forthcoming Splinter Cell game will borrow from Halo Infinite’s approach to open-world gaming. There’s no way to know definitively how Halo’s new gameplay stylings may impact the early development stages of a game in an entirely different genre, but it can be assumed that, rather than touting it as the defining characteristic of the release ala Far Cry 6 or Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Ubisoft will downplay the game’s open-world aspects, and exploration won’t be as integral to progression as it is in its other games.

Ubisoft's Splinter Cell game that is in early development is currently scoped as a... You guessed it... Open World of sorts.

"A more stealthy version of Assassin's Creed"

"Similar to how Halo Infinite has done its Open World" pic.twitter.com/eqSzRplhu5

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) December 8, 2021

With no official word from Ubisoft, it’s difficult to parse speculation from parody; Ubisoft’s penchant for shoe-horning open-world gameplay mechanics into its recent releases is often mocked by the wider gaming community, but Henderson’s history of reporting on Battlefield 2042 pre-release rumors adds authenticity to the claims being made.

The concepts of stealth and open-world exploration may seem to be at odds, and Ubifosft’s strategy for sandbox level design may seem played out, but that’s not to say it can’t work. Games like Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain and Ubisoft’s own Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey married these two estranged ideas, and, barring the more fantastical elements, comparisons to the Dishonored series may not be unwarranted.

That said, gamers have a right to be skeptical about the future of the dormant series. With the status of a previously announced VR game up in the air and rumors of various canceled installments in the series still kicking about, the future of Splinter Cell seems to be anything but definite. While seeing Sam Fisher don his iconic trifocal goggles once again is a hallmark gaming moment long overdue, fans may have to wait a while longer before they receive any kind of concrete confirmation.

Posted: Dec 10, 2021 9:15 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/splinter-cell-new-game-open-world/