Turns out that Walmart Canada may not have been completely as clairvoyant as we first expected. Despite the buzz surrounding it after its listing leaked on the retailer’s website, Splinter Cell was nowhere to be found at Ubisoft’s E3 2018 conference.
Instead, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey closed out the show while announcing its October 5th release date, as well as confirming its Ancient Greek setting and bringing out the Minotaur. As cool as that was to see, it isn’t an ageing Sam Fisher breaking the necks of very bad men.
Splinter Cell’s last appearance was during a special event in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, in which he teamed up with the Ghosts and also lamented the death of Metal Gear Solid. Michael Ironside’s return as Sam Fisher looked like it was laying the foundation for a full-fledged sequel, but judging by E3 2018, it’s not meant to be. Yet.
Fisher’s last outing came in Splinter Cell: Blacklist from 2013, which didn’t resonate entirely with all fans. While its quick pace offered some great gameplay, it wasn’t exactly an out-and-out Splinter Cell game, not aided by Eric Johnson taking over for Ironside. The game failed to meet sales expectations, which is why we’re where we are now.
For a second, I maintained hope of one of the Just Dance minions donning a pair of NV goggles and interrogating Yves Guillemot, but it wasn’t to be. While it’s not been announced properly, Splinter Cell remains too valuable a property for Ubisoft to just sit on. Expect a new Splinter Cell game to be announced, just not right now.
Maybe at Sony later tonight? No, James. Don’t let yourself get hurt again.
Update: Yves Guillemot has commented on the future of the franchise.
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