Splinter Cell: Blacklist Release Date Revealed

In a recent announcement by Ubisoft, Splinter Cell: Blacklist will launch on Aug. 20.

Blacklist is the newest entry in the company’s popular stealth action franchise. The announcement should come as a surprise to most fans because the Aug. 20 date means that it has been delayed. When Ubisoft first announced Splinter Cell: Blacklist at E3 2012, the company gave a release window of Spring 2013. That being said, the release window was also never set in stone.

Along with the release date, Ubisoft revealed a new trailer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist dubbed Inauguration. The trailer starts out by showing footage from several presidential inaugurations with shots of Sam Fisher preparing for a mission interspersed into it. The trailer then shows Blacklist’s female president requesting Fisher’s help to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” and its people. While mostly short on exposition, the trailer features Sam taking out and hunting enemies using high-tech gadgets and weaponry along with several classic stealth moves.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist focuses on Sam Fisher leading the Fourth Echelon unit that must hunt down a group of terrorists. This terrorist group has issued an ultimatum referred to as the “Blacklist” which is a countdown of escalating terrorist attacks on U.S. interests. Though the game features a story typical for the Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy franchises, many fans became wary of the direction the game might be taking after the E3 reveal. The gameplay reveal looked to focus more on action rather than the traditional stealth elements the series is famous for. Ubisoft later countered the argument with a second video featuring the same demo area focusing on stealth instead of action.

An upcoming Splinter Cell movie has been announced as well. Ubisoft and New Regency are partnering up for a movie starring Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises). As for release platforms, the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC were shown in the trailer. There is no word on a Wii U release. Speculation is also abound as to whether or not the almost six month delay is indicative of an announcement of Splinter Cell: Blacklist on next generation consoles. With rumors flying around about a possible PS4 and Xbox 720 reveal in March, only time will tell if that proves true. Keep in mind, though, that the Aug. 20 release is one of the few firm release dates that far into 2013.