Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of action-adventure stealth games and related novels supported by Tom Clancy. The series began in 2002 and follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent working for a fictional secret unit within the NSA called "Third Echelon." The games use light and darkness as important parts of the gameplay.

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, came out 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 currently being developed. Nine novels connected to the series have been published. An audio drama called Splinter Cell: Firewall had eight episodes and started in December 2022. An animated series, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, began on Netflix in October 2025.

The series was well received and was once considered one of Ubisoft's most important franchises. By 2008, the series had sold 19 million copies, and by 2016, it had sold 32 million copies.

Games

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was created over two years by Ubisoft Montreal. Microsoft Game Studios first released it for the Xbox as an exclusive game. In 2003, Ubisoft made the game available on 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 artificial intelligence adjusts to match the player's skill level. Unlike earlier games, which focused on information-based threats, Pandora Tomorrow's story centers on biological warfare. An Indonesian terrorist group threatens to spread the smallpox virus. The character Fisher gains new abilities, such as SWAT turns and whistling to draw enemy attention. The game also added a new online mode called "spies versus mercenaries." In this mode, one team plays from a third-person perspective, while 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 adding a combat knife to the player's inventory. Maps were more open, offering 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 games, with criticism about its control system and multiplayer mode.

For the fourth game, Double Agent, two versions were made: one for older consoles and the Wii, and another for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 3. The game introduced a "trust system" that presents moral choices. It was the first game in the series to include a hub area where players could explore and complete objectives 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 game trailer. It was scheduled for release on November 16, 2007, but missed its deadline. On May 19, 2008, Ubisoft said the game was "officially on hold" and would be reworked. The release was delayed until the 2009–10 fiscal year. At E3 2009, developers said the game had evolved significantly since 2008, with improved 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 fifth game more accessible, removing stealth elements like whistling and hiding bodies. Conviction used a cover system and added simple interrogation sequences.

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, was developed by Ubisoft Toronto and released on August 20, 2013. It combined features from Chaos Theory and Conviction. Actor Eric Johnson replaced Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher. In the game, Fisher leads a secret unit called "Fourth Echelon," which works to stop a terror plot called the "Blacklist." Features included a moving "Mark and Execute" system, Fisher's signature goggles, a new knife called the Karambit, and the ability to perform stealth takedowns.

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. Ubisoft later disputed this claim.

On September 16, 2020, it was announced at Facebook Connect that a virtual reality version of the series would be made exclusively for Oculus VR. The game was to be developed by Red Storm Entertainment. However, the project was cancelled on July 21, 2022.

In December 2021, Ubisoft revealed plans to remake the first game. In October 2022, David Grivel, the game's director, left Ubisoft. He returned in December 2025 after briefly working on other projects.

Novels

Splinter Cell is the first book in a series of novels based on the Splinter Cell video game series. It was written by Raymond Benson using the name David Michaels. The story follows Sam Fisher as he investigates a terrorist group called "The Shadows" and an arms-dealing organization named "The Shop." Members of "The Shop" use secret information to try to kill members of "Third Echelon," including Fisher. After it was published in December 2004, the book was on the New York Times bestseller list for three weeks. It also appeared on the Wall Street Journal mass-market paperback bestseller list.

Operation Barracuda, released on November 1, 2005, was written by Raymond Benson again using the name David Michaels. This book continues the story from the first Splinter Cell novel. It was also listed on the New York Times bestseller list.

Checkmate, published on November 7, 2006, 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 written from Sam Fisher's point of view, and it does not continue the storylines from the previous book.

The book begins with a ship called Trego sailing toward the American East Coast. Sam Fisher is called in from a training mission to stop the ship. After Fisher prevents the ship from releasing nuclear waste that could harm the American West Coast, he learns that a town named Slipstone was attacked with a radiological weapon, killing more than 5,000 people. These events lead Fisher to travel to Ukraine, Iran, Dubai, and Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Fallout, published on November 6, 2007, is Grant Blackwood’s second Splinter Cell novel and the fourth in the series. It was written by 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.

Conviction is a tie-in novel to the Conviction video game. It was published on November 3, 2009, and written by Peter Telep using the name David Michaels. It was published by Berkley Books, part of Penguin Group. The book 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.

Endgame, published on December 1, 2009, is the counterpart to the Conviction novel. The story happens at the same time as Conviction but is told from the perspective of Ben Hansen and the team chasing Fisher.

Published in October 2013, Aftermath is a tie-in novel to the video game Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. It takes place after the events of the game and involves Sam Fisher and Fourth Echelon rescuing a Russian billionaire who disobeyed orders from the Kremlin to release a computer virus against the United States. Aftermath was written by Peter Telep and is the first book in the series not to use the name David Michaels.

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 dealing with a cyberwarfare technology called "Gordian Sword," which can bypass any firewall and will be sold to the highest bidder. Fisher must stop the technology from being used by 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 features Sam Fisher’s daughter, Sarah, working with her father and Isaac Briggs. The story follows Fisher working in North Korea while his daughter 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 reconnaissance unit made up of individual covert operatives, like Sam Fisher. These operatives are supported by a high-tech remote team during missions.

In the first three games (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory), terrorists plan attacks using information warfare. Sam Fisher, a member of Third Echelon—a secret branch of the NSA—must stop these attacks. His missions include gathering intelligence, capturing, or eliminating terrorists.

In the fourth game, Double Agent, Fisher takes on the identity of a wanted criminal to infiltrate a terrorist group.

The fifth game, Conviction, begins right after Double Agent. After leaving Third Echelon, Fisher learns that his daughter Sarah’s death was not an accident, as previously believed. This discovery leads him to investigate on his own, uncovering a secret plan within his old agency.

In the sixth and most recent game, Blacklist, Third Echelon has been closed down by the U.S. President. A new group, Fourth Echelon, is formed under Fisher’s leadership. His mission is to stop the "Blacklist" attacks and the group responsible for them, called the Engineers. Blacklist explores the moral choices Fisher and his team face while preventing these attacks.

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 director 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 the guide after Lambert’s death and later has conflicts with Fisher about morality 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 a lie.

The stealth feature in the games lets Fisher hide in the dark and avoid detection. Guards can be killed using weapons, gadgets, or hand-to-hand combat. However, the best way to progress in 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 multiplayer mode, and Chaos Theory expands this mode with a cooperative play option. In cooperative mode, players work together to complete missions that require teamwork. These modes include storylines that match Fisher’s actions in the single-player versions, allowing players to use information he gathered or assist him in the field.

In Double Agent, Fisher receives conflicting orders from both 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 creates a challenge for Fisher to balance gaining the terrorists’ trust while completing his mission. If Fisher is discovered using an NSA gadget, he loses the game immediately.

Conviction uses faster and more aggressive stealth gameplay 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 defeating an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, players earn a bonus that lets them mark up to four targets and eliminate them quickly in a slow-motion sequence. Interactive scenes where Fisher interrogates enemies for information only require the player to press the [Interrogate] button. If Fisher is near objects like a television or table, he can use them to change the animation during interrogations.

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 battles and using explosives.
Points can be used to buy 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. According to Mathieu Ferland, the series producer, the first game was made to show the skills of Ubisoft's Montreal studio. After games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, developing a special ops game became 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 that uses light and dark. Later games used updated versions of this engine.

By the time the latest game, Blacklist, was released, the engine had been changed to the LEAD engine, a version based on Unreal Engine 2.5. In this game, shadows were not only used for visual effects but also to improve stealth gameplay. This required more programming work and needed a powerful desktop computer to achieve the best quality and performance.

Reception

By the end of 2004, the Splinter Cell series had sold 9.6 million units. By October 2005, global sales of the series exceeded 12.5 million units. By May 2008, the series had sold 19 million units. As of 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, by BBC Radio 4 Limelight. It was adapted by Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Paul Cornell from the novel by James Swallow. The eight-part series follows the story of the novel. The show used a special sound recording that works best when listened to with headphones. Main voice actors include Andonis Anthony as Sam Fisher (replacing Michael Ironside), 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 won the Scribe Award for Best Audio Drama.

In late July 2020, Netflix announced it was making an anime series adaptation of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell through Ubisoft Film & Television. Derek Kolstad, the writer of John Wick, was the 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 mentioned as a special feature for Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory as early as 2005. In 2011, Ubisoft announced plans to make film versions of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, and Assassin's Creed. The company said it wanted to keep control over the films and work with studios to develop the projects. The following year, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures were reported to be the main companies interested in making a Splinter Cell film. By November, British actor Tom Hardy was cast as Sam Fisher, and Eric Warren Singer was hired as the screenwriter. In 2013, Ubisoft announced the film would be made by New Regency, with Basil Iwanyk as a producer through his company, Thunder Road Films.

In March 2014, Doug Liman joined as the director, with Jean-Julien Baronnet and David Bartis as producers. Sheldon Turner was hired to rewrite the script later that month. Hardy said the studio hoped to begin filming in August 2014. By June 2014, Liman stated that 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 begin in early 2015.

In April 2015, Liman left the project, and Joseph Kahn was considered as a replacement. In 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 be an "edgy" PG-13 movie with its own style. However, on November 15, 2024, it was announced that the film was canceled because the team had trouble making the script and budget meet their standards.