It's odd when a studio simultaneously acknowledges and ignores one of its franchises. When that happens, players can't be blamed if they become confused and anxious about the fate of their favorite games. That's sort of where Splinter Cell is at right now. At the last Ubisoft Forward, players learned that Sam Fisher, the protagonist of Splinter Cell, would make an appearance in another Tom Clancy title, Rainbow Six Siege. Considering it's been seven years since the last Splinter Cell game, his re-appearance is welcome and baffling all at once.
Sam hasn't disappeared from media entirely, and as a matter of fact, he's poised to make something of a comeback. It's been confirmed that Netflix is working on a Splinter Cell show that'll put him back in the spotlight. However, that show seems frankly baffling when its being made seven years after the last Splinter Cell game installment, and two Ubisoft Forwards have gone by now without any indication that there's a new installment in development. With that bizarre behavior in mind, there's definitely other fans that can sympathize with the plight of Splinter Cell fans.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a game synonymous with the phrase "development hell." Fans of the first game, a cult classic, have known that Ubisoft was tinkering with a sequel since at least 2008 when trailers got leaked, and Ubisoft eventually confirmed they were authentic. Twelve years later, the game is nowhere to be seen. It's agony for the Beyond Good and Evil community, especially considering the game got an official announcement at E3 2017, and yet again, years have passed and the game has failed to reappear. Just like Splinter Cell, two major conferences have passed without a mention of the game.
Certainly, it's something of a different plight from what Splinter Cell fans face. Beyond Good and Evil fans can still cling to a shred of hope in that the sequel hasn't officially been cancelled yet, so maybe it'll rear its head eventually. Still, in both cases, player disappointment rises as Ubisoft goes without discussing the games for quite the length of time. At this point, it really seems like Ubisoft would've talked about at least one of these games if there was something coming up. It's impossible to discount the possibility that the next Ubisoft Forward will have a big reveal, but after all these years, it's equally impossible to know what to expect.
Holding Onto Hope
In Splinter Cell's case, there's at least some indication that Ubisoft hasn't completely forgotten about Sam Fisher. His appearance in Rainbow Six Siege and the Netflix show in development are significant evidence that the company still knows its top black ops operative is an important character to many and that he's worth giving some attention. There's even been rumors floating around that there is in fact a Splinter Cell game in hidden development. However, when Ubisoft openly disputes some of these rumors, it's a serious blow to the community.
At least, Splinter Cell fans are being good sports about the whole thing. After the Ubisoft Forward on September 10th, Twitter lit up with Splinter Cell and Sam Fisher memes, poking fun at Ubisoft for keeping quiet about Sam's home series while discussing his Rainbow Six appearance. Ultimately, when the developer isn't saying anything, it's that kind of fan devotion that keeps a series alive. It could still be a while before Splinter Cell or Beyond Good and Evil get anything in the way of content. Still, as long as the community keeps its spirits high, there's always hope for the future.