In 1984, insurance agent Tom Clancy released his first novel, The Hunt for Red October, to massive critical and financial success. And the hits kept coming for the writer up until his death in 2013.
Clancy’s books were tailor made for the big screen and actors like Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck have starred in movies based on the novels.
The books also made for excellent video games. One of the most popular series based on Clancy’s work was Splinter Cell. And Ubisoft, the company behind the series, recently announced that they are working on a remake.
Chris West, a producer for Ubisoft noted, “I think it kind of has to be a remake as opposed to a remaster. 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.”
Part of what made Splinter Cell popular was that it was different than most other Ubisoft titles. To keep the gamplay close to the source material, the game was created to be linear rather than open world. Gamers can expect that to continue. Chris Auty, the games creative director explained:
“We’re very, very aware of what makes classic Splinter Cell what it is. It’s important for us to preserve the sense of mastery by supporting players who observe the situations, make their plan, use their gadgets, and outsmart the enemy creatively to deal with the challenges they are presented with. Ideally, they end up coming out on the other side with no one having realized you were even there. That’s the essence of Splinter Cell.”
While news of the remake is exciting, it is going to be quite a while before gamers get their hands on it. The earliest possible date for release is 2023.
