“Following the recent announcement of the final phase of Ubisoft’s global cost-savings plan and the discontinuation of projects, Ubisoft Toronto will be reducing its workforce by 40 roles,” said the spokesperson. “This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance.”

“The Toronto studio continues development on the Splinter Cell game and serves as a co-development partner on Rainbow Six, along with supporting additional co-development projects.”

Ubisoft had announced its major organizational overhaul last month, and in the process, cancelled six projects, one of which was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. The title was joined by 5 unannounced other games in being cancelled. The cost-cutting measures have also involved the closure of two other Ubisoft studios – Halifax and Stockholm – and moving forward, the company is adopting a new structure that will revolve around five Creative Houses, each one being responsible for certain franchises, genres, and demographics.

A recent rumor has indicated that Ubisoft has also cancelled co-op shooter Pathfinder, which was previously known as Project U. An Assassin’s Creed game being made for mobiles, with plans for an eventual PC release, was also among those cancelled.

Since this major announcement, Ubisoft has been getting quite a bit of criticism from its France-based employees. Earlier this month, at least 1,200 employees kicked off a three-day strike in response to the cost-cutting. Solidaires Infomatique representative Marc Rutschlé noted that employees had been working under pressure, while also being understaffed, and had gone several years without pay rises.

“At this stage, it seems clear to us that Yves Guillemot has no knowledge or understanding of his company or its employees,” he said. “The company is continuing its cost reduction and layoff plan. Our teams are already working under pressure, often understaffed. After several years without pay rises (or very small increases), we understand that once again, employees will not receive a raise this year.”

The strike came shortly after Rutschlé, alongside fellow union representative Chakib Mataoui, called for the resignation of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. The two called out the company for its blatant nepotism, pointing to Yves appointing his son Charlie as CEO of Vantage Studios, as well as the lack of diversity in top management.

“If you just put your white male friends in [those jobs], then you don’t promote any diversity or get any new opinions or ideas,” said Mataoui. “We are in a creative job. We need new ideas to come in to [help us] make great new games. But we don’t have that. We don’t have this mindset for creativity.”

2026 and possibly, 2027 are situated to be absolutely massive in terms of AAA game releases. Need I say more than GTA 6? Splinter Cell Remake has some murky waters to navigate, but if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that it’s alive and preparing for the spotlight. So, why is Splinter Cell Remake taking so long and what do we currently know about the elusive project?

The developer officially unveiled the Splinter Cell Remake on December 15, 2021, positioning the studio behind Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Far Cry 6 (Toronto) as the head team. As of late 2025, that hasn’t changed. And as far as we know, it’s still being built “from the ground up” like other heavy-hitter remakes of the modern era. The Snowdrop engine is powering the remake, but little is known about project details other than some developer comments and recent leadership changes.

The most recent movement involves the return of the original project director, David Grivel. Grivel was the lead developer of the remake before leaving the developer in 2022. During his absence, the game was led by Andrea Schmoll, who departed in late 2025. The discourse around her departure was that the remake was yet another dead dev hell project under turmoil…until Grivel announced via LinkedIn about his return to the project lead chair. The developer has a history of rebooting troubled projects internally when they lose direction, so the worries aren’t unfounded, but the return of the original project lead is at least a good sign going forward.

Another potential bright spot for the remake is the use of the Snowdrop engine. The engine has its detractors, most notably aimed towards Star Wars Outlaws and how glitch-prone that game was at launch, but it seems tailor-made for Splinter Cell and it’s more linear nature. Snowdrop is known for its dense volumetric lighting, high-fidelity environments, and dynamic shadow systems. These are elements that can really make those dark oil refineries and embassy infiltrations pop. Sam Fisher’s world has always depended on darkness, contrast, and light manipulation, and Snowdrop’s real-time global illumination and shadow rendering should allow for reactive stealth and more gradual transitions between light levels. Series staples like shooting out lights or using night-vision goggles stand to gain significantly from Snowdrop’s lighting model.

Although the developer has never publicly confirmed a release window, insiders have repeatedly suggested 2026 as the earliest possibility, and that still seems likely given recent projections by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson. The developer’s pipeline for 2026 and 2027 have been outlined through a report and Splinter Cell Remake is on there along with a Rayman Remake, Assassin’s Creed Hexe, and new Far Cry and Ghost Recon games.

Though, let’s be realistic here. 2025 is nearing its end and the remake still has no gameplay reveal. A 2026 launch is optimistic at best. However, scarce marketing leading to an imminent release aren’t unprecedented. After all, Oblivion Remastered shadow dropped with no lead-up earlier in the year. Sure, it wasn’t a full-on remake, but wasn’t exactly insubstantial with its additions and overhauls either. Still, with little to no development updates, no gameplay, and not a peep of marketing, 2026 still seems like a stretch for Splinter Cell Remake.

Speaking of the gameplay, what do we know? Well, since the initial announcement video in 2021, the developer has shown no gameplay whatsoever, not even a brief in-engine demonstration. As we revealed previously, as part of Splinter Cell’s 20 year anniversary in 2022, some concept art images were shown, but that’s it. The absence is increasingly unusual given how long the project has been in development, though not unprecedented for remakes that undergo leadership changes.

One persistent rumor early in development suggested the game might shift toward an open-world structure similar to Halo Infinite, something we originally reported. Thankfully, this rumor has been shut down by Producer Matt West who stated that it will be linear. The Splinter Cell Remake will be linear, not open world, preserving the deliberate pacing and stealth-focused mission design of the original.

The creative team has assured fans that the cat-and-mouse slow burn gameplay is a alive and well, and actually improved thanks to advancements in AI enemy behaviors. The feel of those early Splinter Cell titles is intentionally being kept, with strength coming not from might but Sam’s gadgets and cunning planning. What I’m excited about is the delightful dark humor characteristic with the many interrogations Sam Fisher engages in. The facial expressions will be leaps and bounds above what the original could do. I’m just hoping that Michael Ironside voices Sam, although that’s not guaranteed.

On the narrative front, there has been no updates. As previously reported, the developer has been quiet since 2022 when a scriptwriter job posting revealed the first meaningful update. The job posting revealed that the first Splinter Cell is being used as a ‘foundation’ and that rewrites and updates are happening to the story. Further fanning the flames are remarks that Splinter Cell Remake’s story is being updated for ‘a modern-day audience’. These comments were posted years ago, but without further clarification, we can assume that vision remains today.

The 2022 posting also assures fans that, “We want to keep the spirit and themes of the original game while exploring our characters and the world to make them more authentic and believable.”

This implies that the Georgia-focused plot and Sam Fisher’s search for missing operatives are staying in some form, but the script will likely adjust the context and realism a tad. I wouldn’t be surprised to see drone warfare and contemporary surveillance tech being used as a reinterpretation of the original’s espionage setup. I just hope the characters aren’t modernized in a self-insert kind of manner.

Unlike remasters, fully modern remakes take time, for example, Final Fantasy VII Remake took 5 years. Like that, Splinter Cell Remake is being crafted from the ground-up using a new engine and modern techniques. This means all the environments, lighting systems, AI, gadgets, animations, and cinematics have to be built from scratch. No prior assets or foundation (like Oblivion Remastered had with its underlying 2006 engine).

And then there’s the company itself. Their corporate environment has shifted dramatically over the past year. The company’s restructuring and its broad partnership with Tencent in 2025 led to numerous cancellations, team reallocations, and internal game of musical chairs. Projects across Montreal, Toronto (the team behind Splinter Cell), and Massive were affected. Leadership shifts on Splinter Cell likely caused resets or reworks to multiple systems.

As 2025 winds down, the Splinter Cell Remake remains hidden out of sight. It’s a quietly active project with a returning team lead, but still has no marketing push at all. Despite leadership turnover and long silences, the project continues to move forward inside Toronto, supported by an engine that seems perfectly suited for the espionage fans have come to expect from the series.

If the 2026 to 2027 release projections are to be believed, perhaps we’ll see Splinter Cell Remake at a Forward event or a summer showcase. Until then, Splinter Cell exists exactly where Sam Fisher is most comfortable: in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“I am very, VERY happy to announce that I’m rejoining Ubisoft Toronto as Game Director on the Splinter Cell remake,” wrote Grivel. “A very special team and project to me.”

It is worth noting that Grivel had spent quite some time at Ubisoft previously in the same position – as game director on the Splinter Cell remake. His LinkedIn profile confirms that he had been working on the project for a year starting on November 2021 until October 2022. At this point, he would leave the company and joined EA to work on Battlefield 6 as its senior design director for the campaign until March 2024.

Interestingly, following this stint at EA, Grivel had worked as game director at Ubisoft Toronto for 8 months in 2024, with his responsibility being noted as offering “design direction for an unannounced project in conception phase.” His current return to Ubisoft comes after a few stints as a freelancer with other companies.

Ubisoft is yet to confirm any real details about the Splinter Cell remake. However, there have been quite a few rumours and other reports that indicate that the title’s development has been going strong. Back in May, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson noted that he had heard that the Splinter Cell remake looks “genuinely impressive”. His statement came in light of Ubisoft itself teasing an official announcement at the time.

A report from back in October 2024 had indicated that the Splinter Cell remake was on track to be released some time in 2026. More recently, Ubisoft’s recent earnings report indicated that it had four major releases planned for the coming year. These included Rainbow Six Siege Mobile and The Division Resurgence for mobile platforms, and the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and an unannounced other title for PC and consoles.

As previous reports have noted, this unannounced title has a good chance of being the Splinter Cell remake. According to Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw, the company plans to release the remake in the second half of 2026.

“Splinter Cell, the remake, from what we’ve seen and what I’ve seen looks good,” he said. “It’s still coming, still cruising right along. The last official release window report we had was that they were planning to launch it in the second half of 2026.”

The last major release in the Splinter Cell franchise was Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which came out all the way back in 2013. Blacklist was the sixth mainline release in the franchise, with the original having come out all the way back in 2002. The series has also seen spin-offs for portable platforms, from the Game Boy Advance back in 2002 to 2011’s Splinter Cell 3D for the Nintendo 3DS.

While it’s obvious that the publisher wanted to compete with Call of Duty, a report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier alleges that it arose after the cancellation of a Splinter Cell title. The project allegedly faced several changes, with the team, headed by Nick Herman (who left to co-found AdHoc Studio and work on Dispatch), attempting to adapt to a games-as-a-service model. Ultimately, it didn’t work out, and XDefiant happened instead.

However, Rubin refutes the rumor. “I can say that is not true. When I got to Ubisoft, they had been working on a game for a year that was very ambitious but was struggling to find the fun. And it was NOT a Splinter Cell game. I then canceled that one and let the team pitch any game ideas they wanted.”

Despite some “cool ones,” the team went with an arena shooter and “We found the fun quickly. So, no, we didn’t pivot off Splinter Cell to make XDefiant. Now, maybe they were thinking about working on Splinter Cell before I got there, but it was never a thing while I was there. My experience with Ubisoft was that they are very open to whatever the studio wants to do, which is great, but I do wish we could have used external engines.”

While acknowledging Schreier stating that the alleged Splinter Cell project started in 2017, while Rubin joined in 2019, the latter clarified that, “At no time when I was at Ubisoft was the San Francisco team working on Splinter Cell and that project was not canceled to make XDefiant. My beef with the article is that there was an implied action of canceling Splinter Cell to make XDefiant, and that is untrue. Maybe that wasn’t intentional, which is fine. Just trying to convey the real truth.”

Is it possible that a Splinter Cell title was in the works and cancelled for different reasons, while XDefiant started up separately and gained more resources? Perhaps. Even if there were traces of the former in the latter, it’s all moot since the title is no more.

Ubisoft has a remake of the first Splinter Cell in development, but it hasn’t offered a release date or showcased any gameplay.

Ubisoft itself seems to be teasing an announcement related to Splinter Cell at some point in the near future. Taking to Twitter, it recently tweeted a picture of Sam Fisher, protagonist of the stealth espionage series, simply accompanying it with the #SplinterCell hashtag. With Summer Game Fest coming up on June 6, you can’t help but wonder if an announcement is not too far away.

Meanwhile, prominent leaker Tom Henderson claims he has heard good things about the remake and how it is coming along. Taking to Twitter in the wake of Ubisoft’s aforementioned tweet, Henderson wrote that the remake “looks genuinely impressive.” Hopefully, that means the game is at a stage in production where Ubisoft is finally ready to show it off.

Of course, for now, nothing is confirmed, so treat any rumours with the appropriate skepticism. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated in the coming days and weeks.

The remake looks genuinely impressive from what I’ve seen. I hope we hear about it sooner rather than later! https://t.co/MddxEMOCcX

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) May 30, 2025

As per a report published by Insider Gaming, the Splinter Cell remake is continuing development, and contrary to some speculation, has not been cancelled. As per the report, the title is being developed under the codename North, and is currently tentatively targeting a 2026 release- though that might not be completely set in stone yet.

Little has been said about the Splinter Cell remake since it was officially confirmed to be in the works, other than job listings indicating that it would feature an “updated” story for “a modern audience” while also delivering “new-generation visuals and gameplay”.

Earlier this year, a report claimed that the Splinter Cell remake was targeting a 2025-26 release. Read more on that through here.

In a statement provided to PC Gamer, Ubisoft Toronto stated that it was reducing jobs in order to streamline itself and be in a better position to “deliver on its ambitious roadmap”.

“Ubisoft Toronto has decided to conduct a targeted realignment to ensure it can deliver on its ambitious roadmap,” a representative said. “Unfortunately, this will impact the roles of 33 team members who will be leaving Ubisoft. We are committed to providing comprehensive support to them, including severance and career assistance, to help through this transition.”

Ubisoft Toronto is currently serving as the lead developer on a remake of the original Splinter Cell. Additionally, earlier this month, it was announced that the studio would be providing development support on the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, which is due out in 2026. Ubisoft says work on both projects will remain unaffected by the layoffs.

“Our plan remains unchanged, and our teams are working to deliver on the Splinter Cell remake and other projects at the studio,” the company says.

This isn’t the first time Ubisoft has been hit with layoffs this year. In April, the company announced that it was reorganizing its Global Publishing and APAC divisions, resulting in the loss of 45 jobs.

Having come out nearly 22 years ago, there are obviously aspects of the experience that don’t hold up great to modern standards, whether that its aged visuals or its lack of certain quality of life features and gameplay improvements to subsequent instalments would go on to introduce. And yet, even so, Splinter Cell remains a remarkably fun game to go back to. Ubisoft’s stealth classic captured the essence of the genre perfectly, and delivered the kind of timeliness design in a tightly crafted experience that still hasn’t gone out of style.

Splinter Cell’s core stealth mechanics were, of course, at the heart of everything the game did. Sam Fisher instantly cemented himself as a gaming icon upon his debut all those years ago, and though his characterization and the excellent voice acting by Michael Ironside were hugely responsible for that, just as important was how fun he was to play as, and all of the tools that he had at his disposal. On a fundamental level, the simple act of moving Sam around was an absolute joy. He was a quick and nimble protagonist, making navigation through environments a blast, whether you were sneaking up on enemies while their backs were turned to you, sliding along ledges as you attempted to sneak into heavily fortified and defended buildings, or doing any number of the other things that Sam’s moveset enabled.

Finding your way through environments, figuring out the best path forward as you snuck around enemies, and slowly and quietly dispatching enemies one by one never really got boring thanks to those fundamental mechanics, but of course, Splinter Cell had plenty more meat on its bones. Chief among the game’s most recognizable mechanics was its reliance on light and shadow, an ingenious concept that blended with the game’s stealth trapping spectacularly, and drew the praise from players and critics to match.

Not only did Splinter Cell’s duality of light and darkness afford it an instantly striking visual aesthetic and identity (which, incidentally, gave it a much more timeless look than pure technical polish could have), it also served as the core of the entire game’s stealth experience. Not only was it crucial to keep an eye on the light meter and ensure that you were never plainly visible to enemies, the mechanic also throw in yet more strategic nuance into the moment to moment proceedings by allowing players to manipulate it to their advantage. Want to move through a particularly well lit area where you’ll be easily spotted by enemies? Well, your next step would be to figure out how to significantly reduce visibility in the area.

What elevated Splinter Cell’s stealth action was the fact that not only did the game boast an incredibly stop mechanical foundation, it also bolstered it by often providing players with plenty of options in how they wished to progress, letting them be the authors of their own journeys (within its scripted confines, of course). A lot of that was enabled by the different tools that Sam had access to, from his iconic night vision goggles and thermal goggles to his moveset of physical maneuvers, a weapon that could stick cameras on walls, non-lethal weapons like shockers and smoke grenades, suppressed pistols, lethal weapons with limited quantities of ammo, and more. Prior to the game’s release, its developers at Ubisoft made it abundantly clear that in addition to Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell was also taking plenty of inspiration from immersive sim stealth games like Thief, Deus Ex, and System Shock, and that was plainly visible in the way the game frequently allowed players to move through its levels and missions as they saw fit.

It all came together spectacularly. From its strong core of stealth mechanics to how it allowed players to tactically move through its challenges as they wished to, to how effectively it used light and shadow, Splinter Cell instantly crafted a remarkably strong identity for itself. Not only did it spawn a major, beloved, and successful franchise with multiple sequels (many of which were also spectacular games in their own right), it also uplifted the stealth genre as a whole. In the 22 years since it came out, Splinter Cell’s legend has grown by the day, with many considering it to be not only one of the most influential games of its time, but also one of the best games ever made- and it’s easy to see why. Even though many would argue that Chaos Theory was the franchise’s peak (while some may even bat for Blacklist), there’s no doubting that the original game established a surprisingly strong foundation for the franchise, allowing it to start off in the best possible shape.

Of course, things haven’t gone quite as well for Ubisoft’s once-thriving stealth franchise over the last decade or so. Even though 2013’s Splinter Cell Blacklist was a well received game, it wasn’t the kind of commercial success that Ubisoft had hoped it would be. Consequently, the series was put on ice, where it has remained, frigid and unmoving, ever since. That said, it’s not like Splinter Cell fans have nothing to look forward to. Ubisoft announced in 2021 that it was developing a full-fledged, ground-up remake of the original game using Massive Entertainment’s Snowdrop Engine, with the intention being to fully revamp and modernize the game, and presumably inject some much needed life back into the property.

Whether the remake will be able to do that remains to be seen. For now, we don’t even know when it’s going to come out, with updates on it from Ubisoft’s end having been next to non-existent ever since it was confirmed to be in development nearly three years ago. Either way, whenever it is that the Splinter Cell remake comes out, there’s little doubt that Ubisoft is going to have a hell of a task on its hands. Not only will the remake serve as the first Splinter Cell game in a very, very long time, it will also be recreating what many consider to be an all-time classic. Expectations are going to be sky high, but if it can truly capture the magic of the original game, the Splinter Cell remake is going to be another impressive notch on the belt for the beloved stealth series.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Agent

Yeah, you’ve probably heard of Agent, Rockstar’s electrifying spy opus. First announced as a PS3 exclusive way back in 2009, Agent pledged a Cold War era thrill-ride through the dangerous world of espionage, counterintelligence, and assassination, but much like the silent death knell of a secret agent, Agent’s fate has been silently snuffed. Rockstar have never officially announced its cancellation, so technically Agent could still be in the works. Given the evocative concept art which leaked a while back, let’s hope so – Agent looked great.

Slitterhead

Gory body horror from Team Silent originators meant Slitterhead’s 2021 announcement was met with much fanfare. Even – exclaim expectant fans – Silent Hill composer-in-chief Akira Yamaoka is along for the ride, lending his blend of warped ambience and bone-crushing guitar riffage to the game’s grisly take on shape-shifting parasites. Last we heard of Slitterhead was a dev diary back in June 2023, so not that long ago, meaning, you know, that Slitterhead is probably still in the works. Be nice to hear something affirmative as to release dates from Bokeh Game Studio though.

Ferocious

If it weren’t for the devlogs shared on February 26^th and April 15^th, we’d think prehistoric survive-a-thon Ferocious had gone extinct. This first-person shooter risks being overshadowed by incoming Jurassic Park: Survival if it doesn’t drop soon, but to be fair it’s blend of jungle stealth, strategy, and survival – with a healthy dose of axe swinging mayhem – looks spot on. Let’s hope the situation at developer OMYOG isn’t as grim as the game’s dinosaur infested isolation.

Pragmata

The sci-fi dad-in-space adventure Pragmata has been delayed indefinitely, so we at least know that this ambitious game has vanished for sure. Why though, the developer haven’t stated. Announced in 2020 with numerous release dates coming and going, the most recent of which was last year which passed without explanation. Even stranger was the developer releasing a brief trailer before the mysterious delaying – almost to remind us it exists before flinging into a black hole. Pragmata might not be in the deepest of development hells, but a window on when we can get our hands on it drifts endlessly further.

Perfect Dark

Just what has happened to Joanna Dark’s rebooted saga? Announced at The Game Awards 2020 with little data forthcoming in the three-and-a-half years since, this Xbox exclusive is likely a number of years from release. What does this mean for Perfect Dark? Well, nothing probably, just that development is probably happening at a very slow pace. The incredible graphics, slick movement, and tight gunplay will remain we hope.

Beyond Good and Evil 2

Despite little evidence, this long-awaited sequel to 2003 Beyond Good and Evil is apparently still in the works. First announced in 2008, it’s genuinely farcical how back in the developer stated in an investor call that development of Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in its early stages despite contrarily announcing progress as trundling along nicely. The tragic sudden death of Beyond Good and Evil 2’s creative director might understandably have scuppered progress since, but the outlook for this game was bleak either way.

Project Awakening

Let’s be honest, how awesome was Project Awakening’s gameplay reveal? The slick, lifelike dragon slaying looked truly next-gen, but with radio silence for what seems like eons now, maybe next-gen at the time meant next next-gen. The Japanese developer behind Project Awakening Cygames isn’t some faceless corporation though, with Granblue Fantasy: Relink the most recent of their output. Most likely is Project Awakening has been shelved despite it still being listed on the developer’s website as a ‘next-gen’ title advertised as PS4 exclusive.

PLAN 8

This exo-suit MMO shooter was announced in 2019, yet in what is an increasingly crowded sphere of the video game-verse PLAN 8 still seems like it has enough to stand out in 2024. Shame then that the most recent glimpses on its progress date back to screenshots shared in January 2020. The writings on the wall with this one: it’s dead in the water. The developers are supposedly still working on the title but it’s next-gen, genre-defying announcement is going to be woefully out of date by now.

Everwild

Hopefully still incoming from legendary British studio Rare, now owned by Microsoft, is magical nature adventure Everwild. We say hopefully as the glimpses we’ve seen are utterly spellbinding. An MMO in the vein of Sea of Thieves but in a fantasy setting, Everwild looks to meld multiple genres and gameplay mechanics in what is a hugely ambitious project. Every scene in the trailers seen so far look like oil paintings so let’s hope an official reveal is not too far away.

ILL

One of the Unreal Engine 5 tech demo games that drum up reasonable hype but never actually see the light of day, ILL has immense intrigue in it’s The Evil Within-­style torment spliced within a setting reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing. This narrative driven first-person horror has all the ingredients to be a game changer, it’s just that tech demos are hard to believe at the best of times, let alone for a game with little to no update barring a glimpse into gameplay over six months ago.

The Last Night

This is a strange one, as the most hype-accelerating aspect to The Last Night was a tweet some five-or-so years ago which shared a screengrab of its cyberpunk aesthetic comparing it to The Matrix. The loss of esteemed indie game publisher Raw Fury and controversy surrounding game director Tim Soret have likely contributed to The Last Night’s lengthy development., the former especially as developer Odd Tales had to work to reclaim their publishing rights. 19^th November 2023 was the last official update we had of The Last Night. It’s likely still in development, just that progress has been stifled by misfortune.

Vigilancer 2099

This one will ride on the coattails of Cyberpunk 2077 when it eventually drops, it’s neon-soaked cityscapes are so reminiscent of Night City. In Vigilancer 2099 you’ll play as a secretive bounty hunter in a densely populated open world, with limitless traversal options on hand to get to grips with the verticality of Vigilancer’s megabuilding. There’s been next to no news for a couple of years now, so maybe this small-team developer has unfortunately folded.

Splinter Cell Remake

From rumour to full-blown conclusion, it’s been a few years now that a remake to Sam Fisher’s first outing in Splinter Cell has been on the go, but at present it doesn’t feel like we’re close to reliving Sam’s formative missions. For what it’s worth, Splinter Cell remake is confirmed to feature an updated story that will appeal to a modern audience. As and when we get to relive the game, we don’t know, but info will hopefully be forthcoming soon.

Routine

Nearly a decade after it was first announced, sci-fi moon base horror Routine received a new trailer during Summer Game Fest 2022. It’s 80’s retro-future and creepy atmosphere conjure a deep feeling of dread through juxtaposition of style and gameplay, and whilst development has been restarted at least once since its original announcement the aforementioned indie publisher Raw Fury is on board to see this one through to completion. Routine looks genuinely exceptional.

Deep Down

Despite being near completion and never being officially cancelled action role-player Deep Down has still never been released. Instead, this souls like game has been treated to titbits of info over the years since its first announcement in 2013. The developer stated in 2019 that hope wasn’t completely lost on Deep Down, but all hope has all but died. Development might always pick up again seeing as the assets were reportedly close to conclusion, but there’s no sign of that presently.

As spotted by Twitter user @MauroNL3, Ubisoft Toronto – the studio that’s leading Splinter Cell’s development – recently changed its header and profile picture on Facebook, with the former now proudly showcasing Sam Fisher’s iconic night vision goggles.

That in and of itself might be thin evidence of an incoming update at best, but it’s the timing of it that raises eyebrows. Just hours before Ubisoft Toronto made these changes on Facebook, a Ubisoft Forward showcase was announced for June 10, leading many to wonder whether the Splinter Cell remake will finally be fully unveiled this Summer.

In 2022, job listings put up by Ubisoft indicated that the Splinter Cell remake would be “rewriting and updating” the original game’s story for “a modern-day audience”, while also keeping “the spirit and themes of the original” intact and ” exploring our characters and the world to make them more authentic and believable.”

In November 2022, creative director Chris Auty revealed that the project was still “very early in production.”

Earlier this year, a report claimed that the Splinter Cell remake was scheduled to come out sometime in FY 2025-26, which kicks off on April 1, 2025 and ends on March 31 the following year.

Maaaybe some news on Splinter Cell Remake.

Ubisoft Toronto changed their Facebook header and profile picture just yesterday. https://t.co/6KUXYmGjjs pic.twitter.com/bSwYCjbtkF

— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) April 3, 2024