Going into Ubisoft forward, expectations were high for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and Far Cry 6. This is partially due to the leaks that preceded some of these games, particularly in Far Cry 6's case, but each game seemed to deliver. Unfortunately, hopes were not high for seeing games like Prince of Persia, Rayman, or Splinter Cell, as these Ubisoft titles have been dormant for quite some time.
Nonetheless, as Ubisoft Forward came to an end, Splinter Cell began to trend on Twitter. It's clear why Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6 are currently trending, but these the former may be slightly more heartbreaking. Splinter Cell isn't trending specifically because of a new Splinter Cell game, which would be the biggest hopes, but neither is it trending because it wasn't there, a common occurence. It's trending because of Tom Clancy's Elite Squads.
First announced at E3 2019 and likely forgotten about, Tom Clancy's Elite Squads is a mobile military RPG featuring multiple characters from Tom Clancy's subfranchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, The Division, and of course, Splinter Cell. The sight of Sam Fisher at Ubisoft Forward was a pipe dream for many, and seeing him there in a mobile game may have been the tipping point. As seen below, many fans were not happy.
The last Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell game to release was Blacklist back in 2013, and while its reviews are pretty decent, its predecessor Splinter Cell: Conviction was a big change for the franchise. At this point, though, another game in its style, the classic style, or a remaster or remake would likely go a long way for fans.
These reactions, while initially disheartening, are a good thing. Fans "commented" Skate 4 into existence, and a potential Dino Crisis Remake is in the same boat. In short, fans have been asking for Splinter Cell for quite some time, and while still unanswered, that doesn't mean they should give up.
After all, Ubisoft is looking to make this year much better than last, and presumably, the company will want this trend to continue. Now's a good time for the next Splinter Cell, a full proper release, but it may not have anything to show yet. It does have other projects in the works, after all. Hopefully, at some point in the future, it can return to this franchise.
There's no known Splinter Cell game in development.