Jade Raymond's Ubisoft Team Designed Concepts for a New Splinter Cell

Ubisoft Toronto, founded by Assassin’s Creed Producer Jade Raymond, opened its doors in 2009. In 2013, the studio’s first game hit store shelves, Splinter Cell: Blacklist. According to Raymond, before she left Ubisoft in late 2014, she and her Toronto team were designing concepts for another Splinter Cell. Evidently, nothing ever came of this early work.

During an interview with Gamereactor at the Fun & Serious Festival 2018, where she was honored with the Pioneer Award, Raymond shared the following about Splinter Cell, “The last Splinter Cell is the last one that shipped, so… You know what? There is a design that we actually had and worked on and would have wanted to make, but since I am not at Ubisoft anymore I can’t talk about it and I don’t know who wants to share that concept.”

Based on this statement alone, it’s hard to discern whether Raymond knows anything concrete about the franchise’s questionable future. At least fans can find comfort in knowing that a Splinter Cell title post-Blacklist was once in the works at Ubisoft. However, this knowledge only offers so much relief, especially since Ubisoft remains quiet about potential new entries.

The publisher’s last word on the series came from Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoet. In an interview with Game Informer, Hascoet noted that the future of Splinter Cell was “a question of means,” not a question of will on Ubisoft’s part. While the publisher seemingly has resources to devote to Splinter Cell, its practice of placing several studios on one project could deter such a move. Ubisoft bosses are bound to weigh whether the Sam Fisher-led series can still generate excitement and move millions of copies. Would the publisher consider taking that risk, particularly if it’s expected to deliver a classic Splinter Cell experience?

Since Fisher was last seen on-mission with the Ghosts in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, perhaps his series will also return with online connectivity at the core of the experience. All those Splinter Cell retail listings must amount to something.