Ubisoft has been very successful with a handful of major series in recent years, but some of the company’s most beloved names have been left by the wayside – including the likes of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. Returns for both series have been occasionally teased, but maddeningly neither has become official, though many at Ubisoft want to change that.
“I love Splinter Cell,” Ubisoft chief creative officer Serge Hascoet says, “I love Prince of Persia. I can’t disclose any information at this time, but I can say we are fighting for resources. It’s not a question of will, it’s a question of means.”
Hascoet speaks a lot about Ubisoft development philosophy with Game Informer, including how the company’s many teams settle on one project or another. For example, “We moved from Prince of Persia to Assassin’s Creed because we thought the prototype was compelling enough to do something new and fresh.”
We haven’t heard much from Ubisoft on a new game for Prince of Persia, though series creator Jordan Mechner said earlier this year “We’re doing our best to make it happen!” But there’s been little indication it’s happening any time soon.
Prospects for the next Splinter Cell seem much better. At E3, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said “We really want it to come back.” That’s no confirmation on its own, but the company has kept Sam Fisher in the spotlight, bringing Michael Ironside back for a Ghost Recon Wildlands cameo.
With Beyond Good & Evil 2 finally happening – albeit in a much different form than anyone expected – it seems the door never truly closes on the past at Ubisoft.