So, a new Splinter Cell game. How about it, Ubisoft? You'd expect an extremely popular and genre-defining game franchise not to be mostly ignored for over 7 years, but here we are. There is a caveat, though. A happy one at that! There might've not been any major Splinter Cell announcements recently, but that hardly means Ubisoft hasn't been doing anything with the franchise. Down below, we'll discuss these developments. We'll also be taking a look at what Ubisoft last said about Splinter Cell, as well as taking a gander at what the company is doing with some of their other classic franchises.

There's heaps of info to go through, but we think you'll agree with our conclusion in the end! Now, without further ado, here's why we think we might see a new Splinter Cell game relatively soon!

What's going on with the Splinter Cell franchise?

As you may or may not recall, the last fully-fledged Splinter Cell game we got was - Blacklist. It's been 7 years since, and we're yet to see concrete information about Ubisoft's next flagship stealth project. Credit where credit is due: Ubisoft has since diversified their portfolio considerably. Instead of relying solely on tried-and-true franchises, they've come up with new stuff, and this is certainly something we appreciate them for. That said, we're certainly not the only ones left wondering about their classics.

Standing side-by-side with the revered Metal Gear franchise, Splinter Cell is nothing if not a gaming powerhouse. Stealth games, though, are a tricky beast. Ubisoft specifically has been at the forefront of implementing stealth features in just about every game they launch. Sadly, they've seemingly not been keen on producing something dedicated to stealth specifically. In fact, even Blacklist - remarkably good, mind - is a far cry from the legendary Chaos Theory.

Regardless of this, there have been whispers over the past few years! All sorts of whispers, some of which pointed towards a new Splinter Cell game. Just last year, in fact, we caught a glimpse of a Splinter Cell goggles replica, with the description clearly saying that a new Splinter Cell is on the horizon. An appropriately vague term, isn't it?

Is a new Splinter Cell game currently in production?

Though there's been no solid info coming from Ubisoft at all, a pitter-patter of Splinter Cell content does make us wonder. Here are the three major Splinter Cell "easter eggs" we cannot help but mention!

Splinter Cell in Far Cry New Dawn

New Dawn is a lovely experiment on its own, but in the context of this article, we only really care about its Splinter Cell cameo! One of the game's defining features are its unique Expedition missions, with one specifically taking the players into the devastated hull of Fourth Echelon's own C-147B Paladin.

There, players can pull a few proverbial levers to unlock a full Splinter Cell getup, with the tri-focal night vision goggles and all. Quite neat!

Splinter Cell in Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Topping New Dawn, we've got Sam Fisher making an appearance as an NPC / mission giver in Wildlands! It's a short-but-sweet sort of thing that will easily tug at the heartstrings of every Splinter Cell fan, we think. Best of all - we got a confirmation that even at older age, Fisher is a bonafide badass, and still very much in active deployment.

Since Ubi likes to intertwine their games rather often, we'd hardly be surprised for the next Splinter Cell to feature an old and rugged Fisher, with Michael Ironside's voice-over and all. Perhaps taking the role of a mentor and an overseer, even? No, no, we're definitely not just ticking off our wishlist. Why do you ask?

Splinter Cell in Division 2

This is way more of an easter egg, but it's a cute one all the same. If you visit The Division 2's rendition of Coney Island, you'll be treated to a cute teddy bear Splinter Cell lurking at you from a vent. Is... is that what the people Sam Fisher stalks see last, before he knocks them out? Huh.

Anyhow, these examples clearly show that Ubisoft does consider Splinter Cell while making their contemporary games and expansion packs. What does that mean in the long run, though?

What about other classic Ubisoft game series?

Sure enough, Ubisoft has been going all-out when it comes to the reimplementation of old game franchises. Remember the Sands of Time? Being one of the best action-adventure games ever made, it was only a matter of time before the legendary Prince of Persia showed up. For Honor's next event will have the Prince as a randomly-appearing mini-boss, with appropriately badass mooks along the way. Truthfully, a Splinter Cell cameo would've been just a tiny bit too much for For Honor.

This all does make us wonder, though. Will Ubisoft be content with relegating their classic game series to timed events and mini-expansions for much longer? Are easter eggs and smirking references all that Splinter Cell fans will be getting any time soon? We hope not, but until we get hard confirmation otherwise, we hate to be the bearers of bad news. In the end, time will tell!