The world has gotten its first glimpse of Ubisoft's eagerly anticipated Splinter Cell remake. The developer has released a 20-minute video on YouTube that celebrates twenty years of stealth action for the series and there's some fabulous looking concept images of the upcoming reboot. Four developers working on the remake sat down to share experiences of their time working on the early Splinter Cell games, discussing aspects like the series' famous lighting and visuals as well as the highly developed sense of player agency, and the smooth stealth gameplay. Along the way, Ubisoft reveal some concept art for the in-development remake (thanks Gematsu). Related: The History Of The Stealth Game Review - Deus FlexRevealed images show classic Sam Fisher scenes. These include the agent crouching on a girder overlooking a lobby where it looks like hostages are being held. Fisher hangs above them, suspended in the shadows. The lighting is dramatic and contrasty just like the original titles, but looking shinier as should be expected for a current-gen title. These are concept artwork though so shouldn't be taken as final in-game images.

The full video is well worth watching as the developers discuss how games like Pandora helped to propel Xbox Live's early success, how they made sure the gameplay felt dynamic, and how details like a realistic fish tank all aided the originals in feeling like "revolutionary" games for the time.

The creative director Chris Auty, technical director Christian Carriere, senior game designer Andy Schmoll, and associate level design director Zavian Porter also talk about how the Snowdrop Engine is being utilised to power the remake.

"We aim to incorporate modern design philosophies, improving the minute-to-minute stealth gameplay that was so special in the original," says Schmoll, on how they're approaching the remake. It sounds like the game's devs want to give players more options to defuse situations in the upcoming title, so there will be other gameplay choices besides combat. They also mention how the three alarms system, where if you were caught three times the level was over, will be revised for the remake making things less trying for players.

It's all very tantalising and with these images and more details being revealed at last, perhaps the hype train will start to gain a little more momentum now.

Next: Elden Ring's Narrative Is Incredible, But It Isn't For Everyone