It’s odd when a studio simultaneously acknowledges and ignores one of its franchises. When that happens, players can’t be blamed if they become confused and anxious about the fate of their favorite games. That’s sort of whereSplinter Cellis at right now. At the last Ubisoft Forward, players learned that Sam Fisher, the protagonist ofSplinter Cell,would make an appearance in anotherTom Clancytitle,Rainbow Six Siege.Considering it’s been seven years since the lastSplinter Cellgame, his re-appearance is welcome and baffling all at once.
Sam hasn’t disappeared from media entirely, and as a matter of fact, he’s poised to make something of a comeback. It’s been confirmed thatNetflix is working on aSplinter Cellshowthat’ll put him back in the spotlight. However, that show seems frankly baffling when its being made seven years after the lastSplinter Cellgameinstallment, and two Ubisoft Forwards have gone by now without any indication that there’s a new installment in development. With that bizarre behavior in mind, there’s definitely other fans that can sympathize with the plight ofSplinter Cellfans.
RELATED:Could Splinter Cell Netflix Show Pave the Way for Sam Fisher’s Gaming Return?
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Beyond Good and Evil 2is a game synonymous with the phrase “development hell.” Fans of the first game, a cult classic, have known that Ubisoft was tinkering with a sequel since at least 2008 when trailers got leaked, and Ubisoft eventually confirmed they were authentic. Twelve years later, the game is nowhere to be seen. It’sagony for theBeyond Good and Evilcommunity, especially considering the game got an official announcement at E3 2017, and yet again, years have passed and the game has failed to reappear. Just likeSplinter Cell,two major conferences have passed without a mention of the game.
Certainly, it’s something of a different plight from whatSplinter Cellfans face.Beyond Good and Evilfans can still cling to a shred of hope in that the sequel hasn’t officially been cancelled yet, so maybe it’ll rear its head eventually. Still, in both cases, player disappointment rises as Ubisoft goes without discussing the games for quite the length of time. At this point, it really seems likeUbisoft would’ve talked about at least oneof these games if there was something coming up. It’s impossible to discount the possibility that the next Ubisoft Forward will have a big reveal, but after all these years, it’s equally impossible to know what to expect.
RELATED:Where Is Beyond Good And Evil 2?
Holding Onto Hope
InSplinterCell’scase, there’s at least some indication that Ubisoft hasn’t completely forgotten about Sam Fisher.His appearance inRainbow Six Siegeand the Netflix show in development are significant evidence that the company still knows its top black ops operative is an important character to many and that he’s worth giving some attention. There’s even been rumors floating around that there is in fact aSplinter Cellgame in hidden development. However, when Ubisoft openly disputes some of these rumors, it’s a serious blow to the community.
At least,Splinter Cellfans are being good sports about the whole thing. After the Ubisoft Forward on September 10th, Twitter lit up withSplinter Celland Sam Fisher memes, poking fun at Ubisoft for keeping quiet about Sam’s home series while discussing hisRainbow Sixappearance. Ultimately, when the developer isn’t saying anything, it’s that kind of fan devotion that keeps a series alive. It could still be a while beforeSplinter CellorBeyond Good and Evilget anything in the way of content. Still, as long as the community keeps its spirits high, there’s always hope for the future.
