Now it seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the Splinter Cell remake as game director David Grivel has announced that he is leaving Ubisoft. Grivel worked with Ubisoft Toronto for ten years. The studio is currently working on the new Splinter Cell game. The news of Grivel’s departure came from his LinkedIn profile. In a post, he announced “After more than 11 years at Ubisoft, it is now time for me to go on a new adventure. 11 years is a long time and summing it up in one post is quasi-impossible but I must say, I’ve been lucky. Lucky to work with so many great people over the years. Made so many friends.” The game director worked on marquee projects for Ubisoft being a part of the team for Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Assassin’s Creed Unity, the Far Cry series, and Splinter Cell Remake. Before joining Ubisoft, Grivel was the game designer for Crytek’s Crysis 2. Grivel thanked his colleagues at Ubisoft and hopes “our paths crossing again in the future.” He ends his post by saying to stay tuned for his next adventure. It has been reported that Grivel is moving to People Can Fly as its Creative Director. The Polish studio is best known for Gear of War: Judgement which was co-developed with Epic Games. PCF also worked on the action RPG Outriders which has reportedly still not turned a profit at the end of 2021. PCF is currently working on Project Dagger, which it will reportedly self-publish after a fallout with Take-Two. The studio is also working on several other projects that are yet to be named. It remains unclear which games Grivel will be working on.
What this means for the Splinter Cell remake
Ubisoft has not yet named a new game director for the Splinter Cell remake. The search for a new director means that the studio may also have a change in the direction of the game. The new director can opt to stick to the original storyline which Ubisoft is reportedly rewriting for the “modern audience.” The game could also pivot from a linear story progression to a non-linear open-world approach such as in titles like Assassin’s Creed or Ghost Recon. The Splinter Cell remake is reportedly using the Snowdrop Engine that has been used in The Division, the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and the new Ubisoft Star Wars game. The new engine features more dynamic lighting to bring out the best in the game environment. Although Ubisoft has not yet announced a fixed release date for the Splinter Cell remake, fans can surely expect the development to be pushed back. It would be safe to assume that the game will not be in the 2023 calendar at this point. A 2024 to 2025 release window should sound about right given the news of Grivel’s departure.
