- David Grivel returns to Ubisoft Toronto as director of Splinter Cell Remake after his departure in 2022.
- The game is being remade from scratch using the Snowdrop engine, with changes to story, pacing, and design.
- The development has gone through director departures and a lot of official silence, but Ubisoft is keeping the project going.
- It is expected to be released on PS5, Xbox Series and PC, although the date is still uncertain.
After years of silence and internal maneuvering, Splinter Cell Remake is back in the spotlight thanks to a key change in its development. The game, officially announced by Ubisoft some time ago, seemed to be progressing behind closed doors with little public sign of life, which had fueled doubts among Sam Fisher fans in Spain and the rest of Europe.
Now the situation has taken a slight turn: David Grivel, the remake's original director, is returning to Ubisoft Toronto to resume the same role he left in 2022. His return not only confirms that the project is still alive, but also brings some creative continuity to a development that has been marked by the departure of key personnel and the game's absence from major industry events.
David Grivel's return to lead the project
Grivel himself confirmed the news through a post on his LinkedIn profile , explaining that he is returning to Ubisoft Toronto as game director for the Splinter Cell Remake. In his message, the creative director described both the team and the project as especially important to him, making it clear that this is not just any assignment in his career.
This move comes after several months of uncertainty , during which it was revealed that Ubisoft was searching for a new director for the remake, suggesting another change in leadership. With Grivel's return, that search is over, avoiding the need to bring in a third person to lead the project, something that could have introduced even more changes in direction.
Grivel was previously in charge of Splinter Cell Remake between November 2021 and October 2022 , a period during which the project's foundations were laid under the codename "North." After his departure, another person took over, but they too eventually left the position, fueling rumors of a more complicated development process than Ubisoft was willing to publicly acknowledge.
During his first stint at Ubisoft, Grivel amassed over a decade of experience at the French company. He worked as a designer on titles such as Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Assassin's Creed Unity, and several games in the Far Cry series, including Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, and Far Cry 5. His expertise is closely tied to action and stealth game design, which aligns perfectly with the philosophy of the series starring Sam Fisher.
After leaving Ubisoft, the creative joined Ridgeline Games, an Electronic Arts studio working on the Battlefield 6 campaign. However, this team ended up closing in early 2024, leaving him once again without a job. He then moved to Worlds Untold, another developer that would also eventually shut down, until his return to Ubisoft, specifically to Splinter Cell Remake, was finally confirmed.
A discreet but ongoing development
Despite the noise generated by the comings and goings of its directors, Ubisoft has always maintained that Splinter Cell Remake is still in production . The company has opted to move forward very quietly, avoiding showing materials at conferences like Ubisoft Forward or at major events on the international calendar, something that hasn't gone unnoticed among European gamers.
The official information released so far is limited, but it is known that the project is being built from the ground up , not as a simple remaster of the original game. The intention is to rebuild its foundations with current technology, adjusting the pacing, level design, and mission presentation to better suit the expectations of a contemporary audience, without losing the emphasis on stealth and tactical espionage.
Internally, the game is codenamed "North" and has remained largely undisclosed , aside from a few reports of cinematic sequences featuring Sam Fisher and Irving Lambert. These sequences reportedly showcased a strong focus on intrigue and the espionage atmosphere that has always defined the franchise, drawing on modern spy techniques.
The prolonged silence has also led many players in Spain and the rest of Europe to wonder about the true state of the project . Ubisoft's constant adjustments, both in terms of staff and schedule, haven't helped to clear things up either, as the company has restructured several of its teams and modified development timelines for various well-known franchises.
Even so, Grivel's return is interpreted as a sign of continuity and a certain commitment to the remake's initial vision. Bringing back the person who spearheaded the project can help ensure that the original ideas aren't lost amidst so many internal changes and contribute to the coherence of the current production stage.
Snowdrop as a technological foundation and changes in history
One of the elements that Ubisoft has confirmed is that Splinter Cell Remake will use the Snowdrop engine , the same technology developed by Massive Entertainment that has been used in The Division 2 and recent titles such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws. This engine is capable of delivering highly detailed environments, advanced lighting, and complex physics and destruction systems.
The move to Snowdrop not only brings a significant visual upgrade, but also changes to the gameplay . The project's developers have hinted that the gameplay will be modernized, with adjustments to enemy AI , animations, and environmental interaction, while maintaining the core elements of the original Splinter Cell: stealth, planning, and intelligent use of sound.
Another important point is that it won't be an exact copy of the story we knew from the first Splinter Cell. The team plans to introduce modifications to the narrative, likely to update certain themes, give more depth to the secondary characters, and adapt the political and technological context to a framework closer to the present day. The idea is to respect the spirit of the game, but without simply reproducing it scene by scene.
These decisions aim to make the remake appealing both to those discovering Sam Fisher for the first time and to those who played the original. For European audiences, accustomed to spy thrillers and political dramas, the way in which storylines and characters are revisited will be one of the most closely watched aspects when Ubisoft decides to show more in-depth material.
For now, the company has preferred not to specify further plot details, but the use of a flexible engine like Snowdrop leaves room for more open missions, with multiple solutions, and for the scenarios to feel more alive and reactive , something that could make clear differences compared to the original experience from the early 2000s.
Expectations, dates and planned platforms
As for the release date, the situation remains quite unclear . For a while, there was talk of Splinter Cell Remake arriving around 2026, especially considering that Ubisoft already has other major remakes in development, such as new versions of Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. However, fitting three projects of this size into such a short timeframe seems complicated.
Recent internal developments, coupled with delays in other Ubisoft titles, suggest that Sam Fisher's adventure is still a ways off . Ubisoft has declined to commit to a specific release window, and for now, their communication has been limited to confirming that the game is still in development and that the Toronto studio continues working on it.
What is clear is that Splinter Cell Remake is designed for the current generation of consoles and PC . The title is slated for release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, which will allow for better utilization of Snowdrop's technical capabilities, from high resolutions and ray tracing to reduced loading times and more detailed environments.
In the European context, where the player base on PC and consoles is very large, this focus on current platforms aligns with Ubisoft's overall strategy, centered on big-budget projects aimed at an audience that has already made the leap to the new generation. However, the lack of a clear release schedule could lead to some weariness among those who have been waiting for new games for years.
Events like The Game Awards are often the natural stage for showcasing these kinds of projects, and it's possible that Ubisoft will take advantage of a major event to present at least a more elaborate teaser or a first playable demo. Until that happens, the community will have to continue piecing together clues, job postings, and messages on professional networks.
With all this in mind, David Grivel's return to the helm, the use of the Snowdrop engine, and the confirmation that it's a complete rebuild of the original paint a cautious but hopeful picture for Splinter Cell Remake. Although the project is progressing very slowly and many questions remain unanswered, Sam Fisher's saga seems to be a little closer to reclaiming its place in Ubisoft's catalog and on the shelves of Spanish and European gamers.
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