Skip to main content

Rumor: Michael Ironside to return as Sam Fisher in a new Splinter Cell

rumor michael ironside returns splinter cell feat
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Splinter Cell protagonist and grumpy badass Sam Fisher is almost as iconic as the goggles he wears, and the gravely, sarcastic performance of veteran actor Michael Ironside made him an instantly recognizable figure. However, developer Ubisoft Toronto opted for a different route in 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, casting the much younger Eric Johnson to fill the role. After fan criticism and a mixed reception to the new take on the character, it looks like we may see Ironside make his return.

Posting on NeoGAF, user “Crossing Eden,” who claims to have two sources familiar with Ubisoft Toronto’s work, says that Ironside was spotted at the developer’s studio last summer while he was in the city to shoot the film The Space Between. Though the main purpose of his time in Toronto was apparently to shoot the film, Ironside reportedly discussed his involvement in the as-of-yet unannounced new Splinter Cell game while on set. The same anonymous source who relayed this reportedly leaked information on Watch Dogs 2 this year, as well.

Plans could have changed, however, as the post also notes that Ubisoft Toronto’s motion-capture studio has also been used for other, non-Splinter Cell projects. Ironside was also in the studio before the announcement of Splinter Cell: Blacklist at E3 2012 to discuss Johnson’s new take on the Sam Fisher character, and said last year in a Reddit AMA that the new casting was “a great idea.”

“I don’t think anyone wants to pay money seeing a 65-year-old Sam Fisher bounce around on set … stumbling while he kills people,” Ironside added at the time.

Perhaps not, but those people certainly still want to hear his rough, intimidating voice. No release window was offered along with the rumor, but seeing as it has been nearly three years since the last installment, we’re crossing our fingers that Ubisoft officially reveals the game soon.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
The best Power Armor in Fallout 4 and where to find each set
Fallout 4 key art featuring the power armor suit hung up in an armory.

From the very first Fallout game, the Power Armor has been every wastelander's dream to pilot. This hulking suit of armor can make your normally squishy Vault Dweller nigh unkillable in Fallout 4. But there's more than just one type of Power Armor, and each one has different stats and requirements to wear. Not only that, but some you might find one piece at a time and need to build yourself, while others can be found as a complete set. If you want to make even a Deathclaw think twice about attacking you, only the best Power Armor will do. Here are the best suits in Fallout 4 and where to find them.
Raider Power Armor

This is the only Power Armor in Fallout 4 that even a base-level player can wear right off the bat. While that's great, it does mean it's the weakest option out there. The best stats you can get with it are 500 damage resistance, 250 energy resistance, and 1,050 radiation resistance for a total rating of 1,800. It's great for the early game if you can snag one, but is quickly outclassed by everything else on this list. A guaranteed spawn for this armor is in the cave right beside Skylanes Flight 1665 on your map.
T-45 Power Armor

Read more
3 great Xbox Game Pass titles you should try this weekend (April 26-28)
The current gen version of Fallout 4.

This has been a pretty busy week for new releases, with the likes of Another Crab’s Treasure, Stellar Blade, Sand Land, and more coming out. Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s video game subscription service, has also had quite a busy week. Three games in particular stand out as must-plays this weekend for those who want to delve a bit further into the service rather than spend money on a new game.

One is an excellent single-player Star Wars game from 2023 that you might have missed because of how busy last year was for big releases. Another is a new real-time strategy game that earned buzz on Steam in the lead-up to its release. Finally, there’s a Bethesda Game Studios classic that just received an Xbox Series X update that you can experience free of charge via Game Pass. If you're looking for a new game to start this weekend, but don't feel like buying something new, give any of these a try.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Read more
Save $400 on this Razer gaming laptop with an RTX 4060
A game playing on the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop.

For a gaming laptop that will be able to handle the most demanding games, you're going to want a machine that's as powerful as the Razer Blade 14 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. It's understandably expensive, but you can currently get it with a $400 discount from Razer that drops its price to an even $2,000 from $2,400 originally. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer ends though, so if you want the savings, you're going to have to complete your purchase as soon as you can.

Why you should buy the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
The Razer Blade 14 is capable of challenging the best gaming laptops with the help of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, which offers excellent efficiency and strong ray tracing performance. Combined with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and 16GB of RAM that's good for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need, not only will you be able to play the best PC games without any issues, but you'll also be prepared for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.

Read more