Ubisoft Confirms Divisive Rumors About Splinter Cell Remake Were False

Earlier this month, rumors began to circulate about an open-world Splinter Cell game in development at Ubisoft. Yesterday, Ubisoft confirmed that a Splinter Cell remake is indeed in development, but the company has shot down previous rumors about it being an open-world title. Speaking to Gaming Bible, producer Matt West revealed that, while the game is still in the early stages of development, the plan is to create something that feels similar to previous Splinter Cell titles. This means there won't be any kind of open-world element, and levels will be more linear.

"Although we're still in the very earliest stages of development, what we're trying to do is make sure the spirit of the early games remains intact, in all of the ways that gave early Splinter Cell its identity," West told Gaming Bible. "So, as we're building it from the ground up, we're going to update it visually, as well as some of the design elements to match player comfort and expectations, and we are going to keep it linear like the original games, not make it open-world."

Of course, it would make a lot more sense for Ubisoft to stick with the classic Splinter Cell formula. The last game in the series was 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Sam Fisher has made appearances in a number of other Ubisoft games over the last few years, but those cameos didn't feature the gameplay that fans have come to expect from the series. Technical producer Peter Handrinos told Gaming Bible that it's important to the team to preserve those beloved elements, given how long its been.

"A lot of time has passed since the original Splinter Cell, and even since the last sequel – enough time to miss an entire console generation," Handrinos told Gaming Bible. "We want to bring [our players] something new, yet still connect them to that feeling that they had two decades ago, playing that masterpiece for the first time."

While the new Splinter Cell announced yesterday won't be an open-world game, insider Tom Henderson is standing by the original rumor, hinting on Twitter that a second Splinter Cell game might be in development. For now, fans will just have to wait and see what the future holds!

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