Ubisoft Celebrates Splinter Cell 20th Anniversary, Shares Remake Concept Art

Today is stealth-action franchise Splinter Cell's 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Ubisoft put out a video celebrating the franchise and revealing details of the upcoming remake.

The video features a panel with several developers working on the Splinter Cell remake, including creative director Chris Auty, technical director Christian Carriere, senior game designer Andy Schmoll, and associate level design director Zavian Porter. The panel shares their first experiences with the franchise, their interest in Sam Fisher, and the games' various technical innovations, especially regarding light and shadow. Other guests like Larry Hryb (aka Xbox's Major Nelson), former Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly Dan “Shoe” Hsu, and IGN Executive Editor Ryan McCaffrey also chime in occasionally to share their favorite elements of the franchise.

In terms of the remake, the panel discussed new tech, like ray-tracing, more advanced AI processing, and which will let them raise the fidelity of the stealth simulation. Examples shared include different enemy types having distinct AI behaviors, or the materials in a room affecting the way sound carries. The team intends to make the game possible to beat without a single kill. The player can also deescalate alarm states, enabling a smoother experience than the original. As previously reported, there will be adjustments and changes to the narrative content of the game, though the core of the experience will remain the same. The video shows concept art, but no footage or gameplay of the remake.

The video states that this will be the last marketing material for the game until they are significantly further along in production. For other anniversary celebrations, the original Splinter Cell is currently free on Ubisoft Connect.