Is Sam Fisher doomed to become a mobile game character?
Sam Fisher fans might be in for some tough news. This year's E3 was bad enough when it turned out the new Splinter Cell was not actually coming, and instead, Fisher would star alongside other Tom Clancy characters in a mobile game called Tom Clancy's Elite Squad. And that only came after a few Ubisoft creative directors got our hopes up by getting drunk on Twitter, which turned out to be a whole lot of nothing.
Now, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is dropping hints that the next Splinter Cell game won't be a triple-A title. Instead, it will be on "different devices."
The news comes from an interview with Chinese gamer site GamerSky (via GameInformer). When he was asked about the next Splinter Cell and the fate of Sam Fisher, Guillemot had this to say:
"There will be some new types of experiments but on more different devices. We are working a little bit on the brand today to come back at one point. We can’t say when, because, as you know, it takes time. But each time we have to find the right experience to come back big."
All this very much sounds like Guillemot is referring to mobile games, which makes sense given the venue. China does a lot more gaming on mobile devices than consoles or computers. He’s just being coy to not completely dash the hopes of Fisher fans.
However, it does seem strange that he would mention “other devices” and not mention Elite Squad, the mobile game which will feature Fisher as one of the playable team members. Could this mean there is yet another Splinter Cell game on the horizon for mobile? Or might other devices mean something else entirely?
We know that Ubisoft is best buds with Nintendo, so Guillemot could be referring to the Switch. That seems unlikely, however, as anything that can run on the Switch could be made to run better on PC, Xbox One, or PS4. Why limit your market when you could have a cross-platform release?
It’s really hard to stay positive here, but the last few mobile releases of ported Splinter Cell games haven’t been nearly as well-received as their console versions. Ubisoft could be eliminating the comparison by only releasing future Splinter Cells on mobile.
It’s a sad world we live in, with no Sam Fisher to save us.