TECH

Ubisoft has announced that it has given the green light to develop a remake of its stealthy classic, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Announced on the Ubisoft website, the remake will be developed by the lead studio, Ubisoft Toronto, who were the developers of Splinter Cell: Blacklist. It will be built from scratch using the Snowdrop engine, technology used for The Division games, the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Ubisoft's as-yet-untitled Star Wars game.

In an interview posted on the Ubisoft website, producer Matt West said: "I think it has to be a remake rather than a remaster. Although we are still in the early stages of development, what we are trying to do is ensure that the spirit of the former games remain intact, in all the ways that gave Splinter Cell its identity."

Part of keeping the remake true to the series' identity is that it will be a linear game and not an open world similar to many other Ubisoft games. As for gameplay that takes place within these linear levels, the emphasis is once again on stealth rather than action.

"It's safe to say that a lot of us on the team are stealth purists and we're after that level of seriousness when it comes to these kinds of mechanics and the kinds of things we want to see in this game," says Chris Authy, Splinter's new creative director Cell. "And we are very, very aware of what makes the classic Splinter Cell what it is."

"It's important for us to preserve a sense of ownership by supporting players who observe situations, make their plans, use their devices and outsmart the enemy in creative ways to deal with the challenges they face," he explained. "Ideally, they end up coming out the other side without anyone noticing you were there. That's the essence of Splinter Cell."

"The gaming experience we're aiming for is directly tied to what we want players to feel, to capture the essence of when we were all playing the original games," said West.

It's unclear whether anyone from the original Splinter Cell team is involved in this remake, however technical producer Peter Handrinos says the series veterans are part of the new team. "There are a lot of veterans here, so we're going to have a great mix of people who have worked on previous Splinter Cell games and new team members who are coming together and bringing in new energy and new ideas," he said.

But it looks like this remake might just be the beginning of Ubisoft's revised efforts on Splinter Cell. "With this remake, we are building a solid foundation for the future of Splinter Cell," said Auty.

*Translated by Jeancarlos Mota, Brazil