Splinter Cell Remake — Remake Preview & News

Yes, Ubisoft Toronto has confirmed this is a complete from-the-ground-up remake of the original 2002 Splinter Cell, not a remaster or a simple visual upgrade. The team is rebuilding every asset, system, and level using the Snowdrop engine while adhering to the core identity of the original — a linear, tightly scripted stealth experience where patience, observation, and precise execution are paramount. The developers have drawn a clear distinction between their approach and the open-world design philosophy that has dominated Ubisoft's recent output, reassuring longtime fans that the remake will not sandbox-ify Sam Fisher's missions.

Michael Ironside, the iconic voice of Sam Fisher, has expressed interest in returning — and Ubisoft has indicated they want him back — but no formal announcement has been made. Ironside did not voice Fisher in Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) due to health issues at the time, though he later returned for a Ghost Recon Wildlands crossover appearance in 2018. Given the remake's stated goal of honoring the original and Ironside's publicly stated enthusiasm for the project, his return is widely expected but remains unconfirmed as of mid-2026.

No. Ubisoft Toronto's creative director has explicitly stated the team is not making an open-world game, drawing a deliberate contrast with the design direction of recent Ubisoft titles. The remake will retain the original's linear, mission-based structure where each level is a self-contained sandbox of shadows, environmental interactions, and patrol routes. This commitment to a focused level-design philosophy is one of the most reassuring signals for purists who feared the remake would dilute Splinter Cell's identity by chasing open-world trends.

The remake is being built on Massive Entertainment's Snowdrop engine, which previously powered Tom Clancy's The Division 1 and 2, the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Snowdrop's strengths in dynamic lighting, real-time global illumination, and complex environmental interaction make it a natural fit for a game built around shadows and stealth. The engine's node-based scripting system also promises to make the AI patrol behaviors and environmental reactivity more sophisticated than what was achievable on the original Unreal Engine 2 codebase.

Ubisoft Toronto has not confirmed whether the classic Spies vs Mercs asymmetric multiplayer mode — a fan-favorite feature introduced in Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and refined in Chaos Theory — will be included in the remake. The original 2002 Splinter Cell did not ship with Spies vs Mercs, which means its inclusion would be a new addition rather than a restoration. The development team has stated their primary focus is on delivering a polished single-player campaign first, with multiplayer considerations secondary. Many fans hope the mode will be added post-launch or as part of a future Splinter Cell title if the remake performs well commercially.