Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of action-adventure stealth games and novels supported by Tom Clancy. The first game was released in 2002. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent working for a secret unit within the NSA called "Third Echelon." The games use light and darkness as important parts of how players play.
Six main games were released: Splinter Cell (2002), Pandora Tomorrow (2004), Chaos Theory (2005), Double Agent (2006), Conviction (2010), and Blacklist (2013). A game called Essentials, made only for the PlayStation Portable, was released in 2006. A remastered version of the first three games, called Classic Trilogy HD, was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2011. A remake of the first game is being developed. Nine novels connected to the series have been published. An eight-episode audio drama, Splinter Cell: Firewall, began in December 2022. An animated series, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, started on Netflix in October 2025.
The series received good reviews and was once one of Ubisoft's most important game series. By 2008, the series sold 19 million copies, and by 2016, it sold 32 million copies.
Games
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was created over two years by Ubisoft Montreal. It was first released as an exclusive game for the Xbox by Microsoft Game Studios. In 2003, Ubisoft released versions of the game for Microsoft Windows, Mac, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. The game was inspired by the Metal Gear series and used a modified version of the Unreal Engine 2 to support gameplay based on light and darkness.
Pandora Tomorrow was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Milan. It introduced multiplayer gameplay to the series. In single-player mode, the game's AI changes based on the player's skill level. Unlike earlier games, which focused on information-based threats, Pandora Tomorrow's story centers on biological warfare. A fictional Indonesian terrorist group plans to spread the smallpox virus. The character Fisher gains new abilities, such as SWAT turns and whistling to distract enemies. The game also added a new online mode called "spies versus mercenaries," where one team plays from a third-person perspective, and the other plays from a first-person perspective.
Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Milan developed the third game, Chaos Theory. It added a cooperative multiplayer mode. Originally planned for release in Fall 2004, the game was released in March 2005. The Unreal Engine was significantly modified, this time from version 2.5. New features included a combat knife and more open maps with multiple ways to complete objectives.
Essentials expanded the Splinter Cell series to the PlayStation Portable. Through flashback missions, players learn more about Fisher's past. The game received less positive reviews than earlier versions, with criticism about controls and multiplayer features.
For the fourth game, Double Agent, two versions were created. One version was for older consoles and the Wii, and the other was for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 3. The game introduced a "trust system" that presents moral choices to players. It was the first game in the series to include a hub-like area where players could explore and complete tasks between missions. This game also had different endings based on player decisions, though only one ending is considered official.
Conviction was officially announced on May 23, 2007, with a trailer released by Ubisoft. The game was scheduled for release on November 16, 2007, but missed its deadline. In May 2008, Ubisoft stated the game was "officially on hold" and would be delayed until the 2009–10 fiscal year. At E3 2009, developers confirmed the game was being redesigned, with improved gameplay and visuals. The release date was pushed back multiple times. A demo was released for Xbox 360 on March 18, 2010. Ubisoft aimed to make the game more accessible by removing stealth elements from earlier games, such as whistling and hiding bodies, and instead introduced features like "Mark and Execute" and "Last Known Position."
In September 2011, a remastered version of the first three games was released for PlayStation 3. These versions were based on the original PC ports. The compilation received "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritic.
Blacklist, the sixth game in the series, was developed by Ubisoft Toronto and released on August 20, 2013. It combined gameplay elements from Chaos Theory and Conviction. Veteran actor Michael Ironside was replaced by Eric Johnson as Sam Fisher. In the game, Fisher leads a new secret unit called "Fourth Echelon," which reports directly to the U.S. President. The unit works to stop a terror plot called the "Blacklist" and to halt operations by the older "Third Echelon." Returning features include moving "Mark and Execute," Fisher's signature goggles, a new knife called the Karambit, and the ability to perform stealth takedowns called "abduction."
At E3 2017, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said, "I can't say much about that. But, for sure, all the Clancy games are taken care of. It's just we have quite a lot on our plate at the moment…All the Clancy games are really coming along, so we are not forgetting Splinter Cell."
In May 2019, Ubisoft Creative Director Julian Gerighty announced on social media that a Splinter Cell game was in development. He mentioned working with Ubisoft Montreal's Roman Campos-Oriola and executive producer Dan Hay. However, Ubisoft later denied the claim.
On September 16, 2020, it was announced at Facebook Connect that a virtual reality version of the series would be developed by Red Storm Entertainment for Oculus VR. The project was canceled on July 21, 2022.
In December 2021, Ubisoft revealed plans to remake the first Splinter Cell game. In October 2022, David Grivel, the game's director, left Ubisoft. He returned to the company in December 2025 after briefly working on other projects.
Novels
The first book in the Splinter Cell series was written by Raymond Benson, who used the name David Michaels. The story follows Sam Fisher as he investigates a terrorist group called "The Shadows" and an arms-dealing group named "The Shop." Members of "The Shop" try to harm members of "Third Echelon," including Fisher. After being published in December 2004, the book spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and also appeared on the Wall Street Journal list of bestsellers.
The second book, Operation Barracuda, was released on November 1, 2005. Raymond Benson again used the name David Michaels. The book was also listed on the New York Times bestseller list.
The third book, Checkmate, was written by Grant Blackwood using the name David Michaels. Raymond Benson said he was no longer writing Splinter Cell books. Unlike the first two books, Checkmate is not told from Sam Fisher's point of view, and it does not continue the side stories from earlier books. The book was released on November 7, 2006.
Checkmate begins with a ship called Trego heading toward the American East Coast. Sam Fisher is called in to stop the ship from releasing nuclear waste. After stopping the ship, Fisher learns that a town named Slipstone was attacked with a radioactive weapon, killing more than 5,000 people. These events lead Fisher to travel to Ukraine, Iran, Dubai, and Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The fourth book, Fallout, was published on November 6, 2007. It was written by Grant Blackwood using the name David Michaels. The story follows Sam Fisher as he works to stop Islamic fundamentalists who have taken control of the government in Kyrgyzstan.
The fifth book, Conviction, is a tie-in novel to the game with the same name. It was published on November 3, 2009, and written by Peter Telep using the name David Michaels. The book was published by Berkley Books, part of Penguin Group. The story follows Sam Fisher after the death of Lambert. Fisher is on the run and is believed to be a traitor. He is pursued by a team of new Splinter Cell agents led by Ben Hansen.
The sixth book, Endgame, was published on December 1, 2009. It is the counterpart to Conviction and tells the same story from the perspective of Fisher's enemies, including Ben Hansen and his team.
A tie-in novel published in October 2013 takes place after the events of the video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. The book, Aftermath, was written by Peter Telep and is the first in the series not to use the name David Michaels. It follows Fisher and Fourth Echelon as they rescue a Russian billionaire who disobeyed orders to release a computer virus against the United States.
Firewall was released on March 1 for Kindle and March 15 for paperback. It was written by James Swallow and features Sam Fisher's daughter, Sarah, working with her father. The story involves Fisher trying to stop a cyberwarfare technology called "Gordian Sword," which can break any firewall and will be sold to the highest bidder. Fisher must prevent the technology from falling into the hands of terrorists, criminals, or rogue states. The book won the Scribe Award for Best Original Novel.
Dragonfire was released on January 24 for Kindle and paperback. It was written by James Swallow and includes Sam Fisher's daughter, Sarah, and Isaac Briggs working with Fisher. The story follows Fisher operating in North Korea while Sarah searches for him and tries to expose the plans of a group called "The Dragons."
Common elements
The first game explains that "Splinter Cell" refers to an elite group of secret agents who work alone. These agents, like Sam Fisher, are supported by a team of experts using high-tech equipment.
In the first three games (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory), terrorists plan attacks using information warfare. Sam Fisher, a secret agent for Third Echelon (a secret part of the NSA), must stop these plans. His missions include gathering information, capturing, or eliminating terrorists.
In the fourth game, Double Agent, Fisher pretends to be a criminal to join a terrorist group.
In the fifth game, Conviction, the story starts right after Double Agent. Fisher leaves Third Echelon after learning that his daughter, Sarah, was not killed in an accident as previously believed. He investigates alone and discovers a secret within his old agency.
In the sixth and most recent game, Blacklist, Third Echelon has been shut down by the U.S. President. A new group, Fourth Echelon, is created and placed under Fisher’s leadership. His mission is to stop the "Blacklist" attacks and the group behind them, called the Engineers. The game explores questions about the morality of war and how far Fisher and his team are willing to go to protect the United States.
The characters and Third Echelon were created by J. T. Petty. Key characters include:
– Sam Fisher, the main character of the series.
– Irving Lambert, the leader of Third Echelon, who guides Fisher through missions until he is killed by Sam in Double Agent.
– Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir, a hacker and analyst for Third Echelon who helps Fisher with technical challenges. In Conviction, she becomes Fisher’s guide after Lambert’s death. She also has conflicts with Fisher about morality and rules in Blacklist.
– Sarah Fisher, Sam’s daughter and only family member. She was believed to have died in Double Agent, but Conviction reveals her death was not real.
The stealth gameplay lets Fisher hide in shadows and avoid detection. Guards can be killed using weapons, gadgets, or hand-to-hand combat. However, the best way to complete the first three games is to stay hidden, choose less obvious paths, and use distractions to avoid guards. The first game only has a single-player mode. Pandora Tomorrow adds a two-player mode. Chaos Theory improves this mode and introduces a cooperative mode where players work together. In cooperative mode, players must solve challenges as a team. The storylines in Chaos Theory and the sixth-generation version of Double Agent match Fisher’s actions in single-player mode, allowing players to use information or provide support.
In Double Agent, Fisher receives conflicting orders from his superiors and the terrorists. For example, terrorists might tell him to bomb a ship, while the NSA tells him to stop the bombing. This forces Fisher to balance gaining the terrorists’ trust while completing his mission. If he is seen using an NSA gadget, he loses the game immediately.
Conviction uses faster and more intense stealth action than earlier games. It keeps the cooperative multiplayer mode from previous games. The weapons Sam Fisher uses are based on real-world firearms. Each weapon can be upgraded with attachments like a silencer, gun sight, or laser. After completing a hand-to-hand kill, players earn a bonus that lets them mark up to four targets (depending on the weapon) and eliminate them in a slow-motion sequence. Interactive scenes where Fisher interrogates a target for information only require the player to press the [Interrogate] button. If the player is near an object like a television or table, Fisher can use it to change the animation.
Blacklist combines gameplay styles from all previous games into a point-based system. Players earn points toward three styles:
– Ghost: Requires complete stealth with no enemy deaths.
– Panther: Focuses on stealthy killing.
– Assault: Involves loud fights and using explosives.
Points can be spent on weapons and equipment that match each style. The game keeps the execution system from Conviction but allows players to mark up to three targets, regardless of the weapon used.
Development and history
Although the series includes Tom Clancy's name, he was not involved in creating any of the games. Mathieu Ferland, the series producer, stated that the first game was made to show the full abilities of Ubisoft's Montreal studio. After games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, developing a special ops game was the next logical step for games supported by Tom Clancy.
The first game in the series changed the Unreal Engine to create a gameplay style based on light and dark. Later games used newer versions of the same engine.
By the time the latest game, Blacklist, was released, the engine had been updated to the LEAD engine, a heavily changed version of the Unreal Engine 2.5. In this game, shadows were active on all consoles, not just for visual effects as in most games, but to improve stealth gameplay. This required more programming and meant that a powerful desktop computer was needed to achieve the best quality and performance.
Reception
By the end of 2004, the Splinter Cell series sold 9.6 million units. By October 2005, global sales of the series reached 12.5 million units. By May 2008, the series had sold 19 million units. By 2016, more than 32 million units of the series had been sold.
Other media
A radio drama titled Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall was released on December 2, 2022, for BBC Radio 4 Limelight. It was adapted by Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Paul Cornell from the novel of the same name by James Swallow. The series has eight episodes that follow the story of the novel. The drama was recorded using binaural audio, a special sound recording method that works best when listened to with headphones. The main voice actors include Andonis Anthony as Sam Fisher (replacing Michael Ironside, who previously voiced the character), as well as Will Poulter, Daisy Head, Rosalie Craig, Sacha Dhawan, and Nikesh Patel. Other actors in the series include Mihai Arsene, Olga Fedori, Rina Mahoney, Roger Ringrose, Riad Richie, David Hounslow, Tijan Sarr, Tom Kiteley, Joe Belham, Ali Gadema, Lloyd Thomas, and Charis Jardim-Hinds. The series received the Scribe Award for Best Audio Drama.
In late July 2020, Netflix announced that an anime series adaptation of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall was being developed by Ubisoft Film & Television. Derek Kolstad, the writer of John Wick, served as an executive producer. The animation was created by Sun Creature Studio and Fost. The series premiered on Netflix on October 14, 2025. A second season is currently being made.
The film adaptation of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was first announced as a special feature for Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory as early as 2005. In 2011, Ubisoft stated that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, and Assassin's Creed would all be adapted into films. The company said it wanted to keep control over the film projects and work with studios to develop them. In 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures were reported to be the leading studios interested in making a Splinter Cell film. By November 2012, British actor Tom Hardy was cast as Sam Fisher, and Eric Warren Singer was hired as the screenwriter. In 2013, Ubisoft announced that New Regency would produce the film, with Basil Iwanyk as a producer through his company, Thunder Road Films.
In March 2014, Doug Liman joined the production as director, with Jean-Julien Baronnet and David Bartis as producers. Later that month, Sheldon Turner was hired to rewrite the script. Hardy told an interviewer that filming was expected to begin in August 2014. By June 2014, Liman said he and Hardy were working on the script, which would focus on a younger version of Sam Fisher. In October 2014, Iwanyk said filming would start in early 2015.
In April 2015, Liman left the project, and Joseph Kahn was considered as a replacement. By July 2015, Ubisoft hired Frank John Hughes to rewrite the script. In January 2017, Iwanyk confirmed the script was completed and sent to Hardy. The producer said the film would have a unique style within the action genre and aimed for an "edgy" PG-13 rating. However, on November 15, 2024, it was announced that the film project was canceled due to challenges in meeting the desired standards for the script and budget.