Ubisoft files trademark for ‘Splinter Cell’ just weeks before E3

By Gabe Gurwin June 9, 2017

Ubisoft E3 2017 Lineup Reveal

Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell series hasn’t received a new installment since Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013, and protagonist Sam Fisher has been absent from the company’s E3 presentations for three years in a row. But it appears that the series’ famous trifocal goggles could be making a comeback, as the publisher recently filed a trademark application for the Splinter Cell name.

Ubisoft submitted its trademark filing for Splinter Cell on May 15 — less than a month before it was scheduled to present at E3. The filing lists only “Splinter Cell,” and not a specific subtitle, which could possibly point to a full reboot for the series. If true, it would be the first time one of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy games was rebooted from the ground up. It’s worth nothing, however, that Ubisoft filed a similar trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office back in October 2016, so there’s a chance it’s just routine.

This isn’t the first time the rumor mill has swirled regarding a new Splinter Cell game. Last summer, it was reported that actor Michael Ironside, who voiced Sam Fisher in every game except Blacklist, had discussed returning to the role in a new game. The same source who revealed the information had previously shared details on Watch Dogs 2 which later turned out to be true.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist didn’t meet Ubisoft’s sales expectations back in 2013, but the Clancy brand has seen something of a resurgence since then. The Division broke launch sale records for a new intellectual property last year, and Rainbow Six Siege continues to receive content for a sizeable player-base. Ghost Recon: Wildlands is currently the best-selling game of 2017, as well.

If a new Splinter Cell game is on the way, we’re guaranteed to hear about it at Ubisoft’s E3 conference on June 12. The publisher will also be showing off games like Far Cry 5 and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and the show will be run by developers in place of longtime host Aisha Tyler.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

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