Ubisoft Still Evolving Splinter Cell Series

Ubisoft's long-running Splinter Cell franchise has gone through a myriad of changes over the years, including drastic departures from the series' norm on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While Blacklist could have been considered a return to form, Ubisoft sees the series as continually evolving, and doesn't think Splinter Cell is done adapting.

In an interview with OXM UK, Ubi Toronto animation director Kristjan Zadziuk talked a bit out the genesis of Splinter Cell and the potential future of the franchise. "We haven't got the luxury of Assassin's Creed where we know our formula; we're still evolving," Zadziuk said. "If you look at them, there's no two Splinter Cells that are the same. They've all evolved and adapted. That, to me, is what makes it really exciting."

Still, Zadziuk believes the Toronto studio is honing in on what Splinter Cell is and could be with each entry. "We're getting closer to what that game is, and maybe it isn't necessarily about Splinter Cell being a 15-16 million Call of Duty-type best-seller," he said. "Maybe it's just about it being the best Splinter Cell that it can be."

Though some Ubisoft games have borrowed concepts from others (Far Cry 3's radio towers borrowed a bit from Assassin's Creed's perches), Zadziuk doesn't see that as something that will happen with Splinter Cell. ""Far Cry 3 is such an expansive game, so they're trying to find you an organic way of giving you a map," he said. "That wouldn't work for Splinter Cell - there'd be no point in Sam climbing to the top of a tower and pressing a button. But then again, we have our version of active sprint. It's not a way of copying Assassin's Creed, it's our way of making Sam more fluid."

Whatever Ubisoft has in store for the series, we'll be paying close attention. The Splinter Cell franchise has long been a favorite of ours, and we look forward to where the studio takes Sam Fisher in the future.