Splinter Cell is back. Just not in the way you’d expect (or want) it to return. A Splinter Cell Netflix anime series is in production and will be written and produced by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad.
According to Variety, the Splinter Cell Netflix series has already been approved for a two-season, 16 episode order. However, details are sparse. We’re not sure if the series will follow Sam Fisher or whether it’ll tie into the game universe or serve as a reboot or retelling.
Splinter Cell is a critically acclaimed franchise that Ubisoft just seems to have sort of lost interest in. The studio put out seven games between 2002 when the original title debuted, and 2013. Since Splinter Cell: Blacklist released in 2013, Ubisoft has remained mostly silent about the series.
Every now and then, we’ll get a tease that Sam will be making a return, like with his appearance in the Ghost Recon Wildlands DLC. Still, it hasn’t lead to any big revival of the series. There have been rumors of a new Splinter Cell in the works off and on for years, but, again, nothing substantial has come out of them.
The latest (somewhat plausible) Splinter Cell rumor to leave fans in tears stated that we’d see a game called Splinter Cell: Fifth Freedom announced during The Game Awards 2019. Of course, that never happened. Instead, the best we’re getting Sam Fisher in a mobile strategy game called Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad.
The reveal of the anime will likely fire up the rumor mill once more about a new game. The Netflix show may be a tie-in or harbinger of an unannounced main title. However, given Ubisoft’s treatment of the franchise over the last few years, I would be surprised if that were the case.
No release date (or title) has been announced for Netflix’s anime. It seems like it’s probably very early in the series’ development. We’ll likely not see anything solid until next year at the earliest.
