Ubisoft was working on a new Splinter Cell game that was going to embrace games-as-a-service before it shifted to become XDefiant, a game that the publisher shut down not long after release. This is according to Nick Herman, a developer who worked on the game before leaving to start AdHoc Studios, the team that just launched the episodic game Dispatch to great success.
“I was so excited to be a part of this and help revitalize it, because it’s been dormant for a while,” Herman said told Bloomberg. “And we thought we could tell a great story and do something the fans would love.”
The game was in development “for a few months,” Bloomberg reported, and Herman confirmed that Ubisoft wanted to have it feature games-as-a-service elements.
It’s always interesting to hear about the development journey of games, especially when a project changes direction like this. It’s a reminder of how dynamic the gaming industry can be. Hopefully, whatever comes next will resonate with fans.
Absolutely! The behind-the-scenes evolution of game projects can reveal so much about the industry’s shifting priorities. It’s intriguing to think about how the initial vision for Splinter Cell might have influenced elements in XDefiant, despite the two games being quite different in style and execution.
You’re right! It’s fascinating how concepts can evolve or get repurposed, sometimes leading to unexpected outcomes like XDefiant. It really highlights the challenges developers face in balancing innovation with fan expectations.