“Be careful what you wish for” is a saying that should ring very true for fans of the Splinter Cell series right now. The series has been in quite the standstill ever since the release of Splinter Cell: Blacklist back in 2013. Since then, we’ve yet to see Sam Fisher back in any capacity, unless of course you’re counting his outing in another Tom Clancy title, Ghost Recon, as a special character for a post-launch mission.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s reception was positive, but its sales were seen as middling by Ubisoft, which may have led to the hiatus that still continues to this day. Still, that fact does not stop fans of the series from constantly asking for news regarding future developments for the series, with every year marked by disappointment as several major gaming events have passed without any news dropping about Sam Fisher’s next outing.
Now, new information has surfaced that points to a new Splinter Cell in development, but it might be the farthest cry from what the core fanbase of the series is expecting. In a recent interview with outlet Gamersky, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot mentioned that the return of the series might not be in the direction everyone is thinking it could be – that is to say, a AAA release – but rather as, quote, "some new type of experiences, but more on different devices."
As much as people may want to view this as a release for next-generation consoles, the wording in the quote makes more sense when you think about mobile phones. It’s disappointing, to say the least, but I imagine that Ubisoft does not think that the Splinter Cell series is a big moneymaker when compared to the rather successful outing of Ghost Recon Wildlands (a sequel will arrive later this year) or that of Rainbow Six, which managed to revive itself from a poor launch into one of the most popular first-person shooters on the market today.
In the end, I’d wager to say that I’m not alone in just wishing that Sam Fisher got his happy ending in a proper game to finish the series. No, Elite Squad does not count.
