Ubisoft Toronto head Jade Raymond says stealth-action franchise not at the level of Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed due to its complexity.

The Splinter Cell franchise’s complexity is hurting its popularity, according to Ubisoft Toronto head Jade Raymond. Speaking to Eurogamer, the designer explained that the Sam Fisher stealth series has not achieved Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed numbers because of the way it challenges gamers.

“One of the things that held it back is despite all of the changes that have happened over the years, it’s still one of the more complex and difficult games to play,” Raymond said. “Even though we do have core fans who are like, ‘Oh, I want to have more of this experience,’ when you play any other game that has stealth elements, they’re all a lot more forgiving than Splinter Cell.”

Raymond explained that most contemporary stealth-oriented games do not require the player to plan out their routes of attack on the level that the Splinter Cell series does. In fact, she said many games today are quite the opposite.

“By default there aren’t many games where that’s the phase,” Raymond said. “Most games you can walk in and you start shooting right away, or you just walk in and you improvise as you go along.”

Overall, Raymond said Splinter Cell is really a “thinking game,” and one that requires players to take their time and plan out how certain objectives should be approached. This is still appealing to gamers, she said, but it represents a different approach than most games.

“That’s where you get the thrill, but it’s a different way of playing than most games on the market these days,” she said.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist– which launches in August for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U–is attempting to offer a “broader range of play.” This includes the hardcore stealth experience for longtime fans, as well as action-focused elements that Raymond said she hopes will broaden the game’s player base.

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Player-controlled scene where Sam Fisher wrenches a knife through enemy to get information cut from upcoming game.

A player-controlled torture scene from Splinter Cell: Blacklist has been removed following a negative reaction to its brutality, Eurogamer reports today. The scene in question (below) is from an August demo, in which Sam Fisher wrenches a knife into an enemy’s clavicle, with a button prompt emerging tasking players to twist the knife to obtain intelligence. At the end of the scene, players choose whether the enemy lives or dies.

“Definitely we are not going to see when the game’s coming out that there are torture scenes in it. That scene is not there anymore,” producer Andrew Wilson said. “I’ve not really heard anyone say they loved it’”

Wilson added that the scene, which occurs in the first minutes of the demo, is not necessarily indicative of the game’s overall tone. He said the scene was possibly missing context and “in an unabridged snapshot, it seemed like pretty tough material.”

“We’ve scaled a lot of that back, and as we’ve gone through the process of development there are always things that you feel are not working as well. Every game does this, and cuts certain things,” he said.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is due out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC August 20.
Development on the game is being led by Ubisoft Toronto, with Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai assisting. For more, check out GameSpot’s just-published preview of Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

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Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist‘s release date has been pushed to August 20th, 2013. 

Originally slated for a Spring release, it looks like we’re going to have to wait all Summer to get the latest entry in the long-running espionage franchise. Of course, given the sheer volume of quality releases coming out in the next few months, this decision is certainly more healthy for our wallets. 

While likely moved to avoid Spring competition and to allow for more polish, a small part of me hopes in my heart of hearts that they’re using this time to bring back original Sam Fisher voice actor Michael Ironside (Blacklist is the first game in the franchise to not feature his cold, yet silky smooth voice). Unlikely, but hey, one can dream. 

Read the full version here – http://www.gamrreview.com/news/89675/splinter-cell-blacklist-moved-to-august/

Ubisoft action-shooter originally targeted to launch this spring now expected late summer.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist has been given a release date of August 20, Ubisoft has announced. It was originally due to come out this spring.

A new trailer for the game on IGN lists that the game will be available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a group of “rogue nations” have become fed up with the United States’ armed presence in their countries. To combat this, they devised “The Blacklist,” a series of terrorist attacks aimed at the United States.

Development on Splinter Cell: Blacklist is being led by Ubisoft Toronto, with Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai assisting.

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New Regency producing big-screen version of Ubisoft’s stealth-action series with Tom Hardy as Sam Fisher.

New Regency will produce the film adaptation of Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell franchise, according to a press release at Deadline. As was previously announced, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises star Tom Hardy will play the role of Sam Fisher with Eric Warren Singer (The International) attached to write the script.

Details on the Splinter Cell film’s plot remain a mystery, though Ubisoft Motion Pictures chief executive officer Jean-Julien Baronnet said in a statement that the partnership will allow the publisher to have “creative freedom.” Additionally, he said New Regency shares Ubisoft’s “commitment to respecting the creative freedom of our team,” thus making the studio an “ideal fit” for the project.

This is not the first partnership between New Regency and Ubisoft Motion Pictures. The companies are also working together to bring Assassin’s Creed to the silver screen, possibly as early as next year. Inglourious Basterds and Shame star Michael Fassbender will play the lead role in that film.

New Regency is a division of Regency Enterprises. Past projects produced by the company include Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Marly & Me. The company is producing Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming biblical epic Noah, as well as Twelve Years a Slave.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the next entry in Ubisoft’s long-running stealth-action series. It is due out next year for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For more on that game, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

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Inception and The Dark Knight Rises actor to play Sam Fisher in Ubisoft’s upcoming film adaptation.

Tom Hardy’s next role is Sam Fisher. Variety reports today that the Inception and The Dark Knight Rises actor has been cast as the lead role in Ubisoft’s upcoming Splinter Cell film adaptation.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

The film has been in the works since 2006 and remains unassociated with a studio. The site states that Ubisoft has held preliminary talks with Warner Bros. and Paramount, though it is not clear if either outfit is pursuing the project.

Eric Warren Singer (The International) is writing the film’s script, though no director or other actors have been announced for the project.

Hardy is the second high-profile actor Ubisoft has signed to one of its upcoming films. He follows Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, Shame), who will play the lead role in the forthcoming Assassin’s Creed motion picture.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the next entry in Ubisoft’s long-running stealth-action series. It is due out next year for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For more on that game, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

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French publisher reveals teaser image depicting what appears to be lower portion of Sam Fisher’s face, beckons community to “like” page to reveal more.

Ubisoft is gearing up to make a “big” Splinter Cell-related announcement. The official Facebook page for Splinter Cell was updated today with a stylized piece of art depicting a portion of what appears to be series protagonist Sam Fisher’s face, and a message beckoning the community to “like” the image to reveal more.

Sam Fisher’s lips?

No further information is available.

In June, it was reported that Ubisoft was in talks with Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures to make a movie out of the Splinter Cell franchise. At the time, it was believed that Paramount was the frontrunner for the project.

The image in question may or may not pertain to the Splinter Cell movie, but what is known is that a new entry in the game series is due out next year. Splinter Cell: Blacklist was announced during the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo over the summer. This game is due out during spring 2013 for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 with Kinect support.

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Studio Liverpool posts updates to social channels saying “We Are Alive” with accompanying image bearing Wipeout resemblance.

Sony confirmed last month that after nearly 30 years of operation, Wipeout series creator Studio Liverpool would shut its doors. Now, it appears the studio has new life. The company updated its Facebook and Twitter pages today with a message of “We Are Alive” and an image that resembles the studio’s Wipeout series.

Is this a first look at the next Wipeout?

The image (at right) shows two vehicles speeding away from a fiery explosion. No further information is available, and as of press time, Sony had not responded to GameSpot’s request for comment.

At the time of Sony Liverpool’s closure, the studio was rumored to be working on a Wipeout title and a Splinter Cell-style action game for the PlayStation 4. Sony has kept quiet concerning its official next-generation plans, but analysts believe new consoles from Microsoft and Sony will release in late 2013.

Sony Liverpool was established in 1984 as Psygnosis, before being picked up by Sony in 1993 and rebranded. The firm developed launch titles for every PlayStation format ever released. Most recently, Sony Liverpool developed the warmly received PlayStation Vita game Wipeout 2048.

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Ubisoft has opened up a brand new studio in Toronto. The studio will be using the state of the art motion capture technology that is currently being used in film. Ubisoft will use the technology to create a new level of realism in its games.

The new studio will be working closely with Ubisoft’s other studio in Toronto which is currently developing Splinter Cell: Blacklist. However the studio will also be assisting Ubisoft’s other studios around the world in motion capture.

“We are extremely proud to unveil a performance capture studio in Toronto after just two years of operation in the city,” said Ubisoft Toronto CEO Yannis Mallat. “This is about more than just the creation of a cutting-edge facility – it’s about Ubisoft transforming our approach to storytelling with a focus on acting talent and the delivery of the highest-quality performance output for our cinematics and animation teams. The studio also is a testament to our confidence in the talent in Ontario to deliver some of the best performance capture in the industry for games.”

Liverpool developer shut down after nearly 30 years; studio was reportedly working on “dramatically different” Wipeout and Splinter Cell-style game for PlayStation 4.

Sony Liverpool, the company responsible for creating the Wipeout franchise, has been closed. An update on the firm’s Facebook page today confirmed the closure after nearly 30 years of operation, effective immediately. It is not clear how many staffers were affected, but Eurogamer reports that Sony will attempt to relocate those impacted to other studios.

Sony Liverpool is no more.

In a statement provided to the site, Sony explained that it decided to shut down Sony Liverpool after a regular review found that changes needed to be made to remain viable in an “increasingly competitive marketplace.”

“It has been decided that Liverpool Studio should be closed,” reads a line from the statement. “Liverpool Studio has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios since the outset of PlayStation, and have contributed greatly to PlayStation over the years. Everyone connected with Liverpool Studio, past and present, can be very proud of their achievements.However, it was felt that by focusing our investment plans on other Studios that are currently working on exciting new projects, we would be in a stronger position to offer the best possible content for our consumers.”

The studio was established in 1984 as Psygnosis, before being picked up by Sony in 1993 and re-branded. The firm developed launch titles for every PlayStation format ever released. Most recently, Sony Liverpool developed the warmly received PlayStation Vita game Wipeout 2048.

In addition, Sony Liverpool is home to Sony’s European quality assurance outfit. This division was not affected by the closure of the Wipeout studio.

Eurogamer reports that the firm was at work on multiple titles for the PlayStation 4, including a new Wipeout entry and a Splinter Cell-style action game. The new Wipeout title reportedly had been in development for 12-18 months, and was to be “dramatically different.”

As for the Splinter Cell-style project, this game supposedly began its life as a gangster-style title before morphing into something resembling the popular Ubisoft franchise. It also reportedly used motion capture technology similar to that used by Team Bondi for L.A. Noire.

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