In a post shared via the official account of Ubisoft Toronto, the development studio behind the upcoming Splinter Cell remake explicitly asks for applicants interested in working on the classic franchise. The post starts by stating clearly that Ubisoft Toronto is remaking Splinter Cell “from the ground up” and it’s looking for developers to help. As if that wasn’t subtle enough, the message ends with “Activate your trifocal goggles, Agent,” referencing Splinter Cell protagonist Sam Fisher’s unique night vision goggles.
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The tweet has a short video clip attached to it showing Fisher’s goggles and their three green lights flashing, before listing some of the positions Ubisoft Toronto is looking to fill. These positions include Lead Programmers focusing on gameplay, engine work, AI, and 3D, as well as Concept Artist and Technical Animator roles.
Looking at the official Ubisoft Toronto website for open positions, there are many, many more than those listed in the video. 63 different positions are open at the moment, not only in programming and art, but also in human resources, project management, audio, financial planning, and IT. The positions Ubisoft focused on in its short video must be a priority for the studio and its Splinter Cell project.
Using the Splinter Cell brand as a tool for recruitment is certainly a clever idea. It’s a brand that many young game developers grew up with and may have loved, so the opportunity to work on such a big franchise has to be attractive to many. However, there is a question as to why Ubisoft Toronto is needing to recruit so many developers, as well as why it needs to be so aggressive with recruitment. After all, it hasn’t made a Splinter Cell game in over 8 years. Ubisoft may be presenting Splinter Cell as a major franchise, but it hasn’t been treated like one for some time.
As for the turnover, Ubisoft’s recent controversies regarding workplace discrimination are certainly a factor, with over 100 Ubisoft Toronto employees going public with their frustrations. Studio co-founder Maxime Béland even resigned over the matter. As such, a Splinter Cell remake may not be enough to fully recover from the controversy.
Splinter Cell is currently in development.
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