Fans hoping for a Splinter Cell revival may want to brace themselves Ubisoft reportedly canceled a new Splinter Cell game years ago, long before announcing its current remake project. Even more frustrating? The canceled title was replaced by XDefiant, a live-service shooter that failed to leave a mark.
Splinter Cell game was in development in 2017
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the game was in active development as early as 2017, led by developers Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, and Pierre Shorette. Herman recalls the team being enthusiastic about breathing new life into the long-dormant franchise. They believed they had something that would excite long-time fans.
“We thought we could tell a great story and do something the fans would love,” Herman said.
But that vision didn’t last.
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Ubisoft pulled the plug for live-service ambitions
After six months of hopeful development, Ubisoft shifted direction. The company’s growing focus on live-service models meant projects like this story-driven Splinter Cell were no longer priorities. Herman noted that enthusiasm quickly turned to frustration as management pulled support.
“You realize that all of the things you care about, they don’t anymore.”
Rather than salvaging the concept, Ubisoft reworked the project into XDefiant a competitive shooter meant to take on Call of Duty. But instead of dominating the space, XDefiant quietly stumbled.
XDefiant failed and took studios down with it
XDefiant never gained real traction. The content was light, player interest faded, and after a year of lackluster performance, Ubisoft shut down its servers in June. The fallout was severe enough to trigger the closure of Ubisoft’s San Francisco and Osaka studios, both of which had worked on the project.
A missed chance for Splinter Cell fans
The Splinter Cell name still holds weight with fans, but it’s been over a decade since the last mainline release. And now, knowing a rebooted entry once existed only to be discarded in favor of a doomed shooter makes the wait even harder to stomach.
Ubisoft may still deliver on its promised Splinter Cell remake, but for many, the damage is already done. One beloved franchise was shelved, and what replaced it didn’t just flop, it vanished.
