Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Seventh Splinter Cell installment; Sam Fisher leads Fourth Echelon.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist hit shelves in 2013 as an action-adventure stealth game from Ubisoft Toronto, published by Ubisoft. It follows *Splinter Cell: Conviction* as the seventh mainline entry in the series. Players step into the boots of Sam Fisher, a Fourth Echelon operative tasked with dismantling the Engineers—a terrorist outfit trying to force the United States to pull all its troops back from overseas. The core gameplay sticks close to earlier titles, asking players to complete goals and take down enemies. The game also brings back the asymmetrical multiplayer mode Spies vs. Mercs, first seen in *Pandora Tomorrow*. This was the debut project for Ubisoft Toronto, a studio founded in 2009. Maxime Béland, who previously worked on *Conviction*, directed the game. To blend the action-heavy style of *Conviction* with the stealth focus of older *Splinter Cell* games, Béland studied reviews and feature lists from earlier entries. Eric Johnson took over voice and motion-capture duties for Sam Fisher, replacing Michael Ironside, who couldn't return after a cancer diagnosis. The Wii U version, announced later, was handled by Ubisoft Shanghai, which also built the game’s multiplayer component. Announced at E3 2012, *Blacklist* launched in August 2013 for PlayStation 3, Windows, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Critics generally gave it positive marks, highlighting its level design, story, gameplay, combat, soundtrack, and multiplayer. On the downside, some pointed to its graphics, lack of challenge, and ending. A number of fans also criticized Johnson’s casting as Fisher. Commercially, the game fell short of expectations, moving two million copies in its first three months. Players control Sam Fisher as he works to stop the Engineers. The game leans on stealth from a third-person perspective, letting players rotate the camera, run, crouch, and vault over obstacles. It aims to mix the aggressive stealth of *Conviction* with the classic sneaking of older titles, offering multiple ways to finish objectives and deal with enemies. Players can ghost through levels unseen by using cover or scaling ledges. If they kill foes, other enemies may spot the bodies, so hiding corpses helps avoid alerts. Fisher can shoot out lights to create shadows, and his customizable night-vision and sonar goggles let him spot enemies in the dark or through walls.
- Developer
- Ubisoft Toronto (single-player); Ubisoft Shanghai (Wii U version, multiplayer)
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Release year
- 2013
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Windows, Wii U, Xbox 360
- Genre
- Action-adventure stealth
- Director
- Maxime Béland
- Protagonist voice
- Eric Johnson
Lore & Background
Blacklist is the first title developed by Ubisoft Toronto, a studio founded by Ubisoft in 2009. The game was directed by Maxime Béland, who had worked on Conviction. To prepare, Béland studied reviews and feature lists of older Splinter Cell games to combine the action focus of Conviction with the stealth focus of earlier titles. Eric Johnson provided the voice and motion capture for Sam Fisher, replacing Michael Ironside, who was unable to reprise the role after being diagnosed with cancer. The Wii U version was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai, which also developed the game's multiplayer.
The game was announced at E3 2012 and released in August 2013. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for its level design, story, gameplay, combat, soundtrack, and multiplayer mode. Criticism was directed at its graphics, lack of challenge, ending, and some fans' reaction to Johnson's casting as Fisher. Commercially, the game underperformed, selling two million units within three months of its release.
Reader's Guide
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist marks a transitional point in the Splinter Cell series, being the first game developed by Ubisoft Toronto and the first to feature Eric Johnson as the voice of Sam Fisher after Michael Ironside's departure due to cancer. The game attempted to reconcile the action-oriented gameplay of Conviction with the traditional stealth mechanics of earlier entries, offering players multiple approaches—Ghost, Panther, and Assault—that rewarded stealth with greater experience points. The return of the asymmetrical multiplayer mode Spies vs. Mercs, originally introduced in Pandora Tomorrow, was a notable feature, alongside a cooperative mode and other multiplayer variants. Despite generally positive critical reception, the game underperformed commercially, selling two million units in three months. Its legacy includes the continuation of the series' narrative and gameplay evolution, though it also generated controversy among fans over the protagonist's recasting. The game's multiplayer servers were scheduled to shut down on September 1, 2022, later delayed to October 1, 2022.
Did You Know?
- Eric Johnson replaced Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher after Ironside was diagnosed with cancer.
- The game sold two million units within three months of its release, underperforming commercially.
- The Wii U version was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and did not include the cooperative mode.
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