Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Remake may be in trouble as the project seeks yet another game director

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ubisoft’s stealth espionage franchise, has been dormant for more than a decade. A Splinter Cell remake has been in the works, yet the upcoming project has encountered another setback with the departure of its game director.

The Splinter Cell remake, announced in 2021, is rumored to be using Ubisoft’s Snowdrop engine and is being developed under the codename North. However, the lack of any gameplay footage, trailers, or significant updates so far has raised some concerns about the project’s stability, especially amid Ubisoft’s broader restructuring following a deal with Tencent.

Recent reports indicate that Andrea Schmoll, who served as game director after taking over in the years following the project’s announcement, left Ubisoft Toronto in September 2025, as confirmed by updates on her LinkedIn profile.

Schmoll previously worked as a systems designer on Far Cry 6 and had been spearheading the remake’s core features, including moment-to-moment gameplay, gadget implementations, NPC behavior, and environmental interactivity.

Her departure marks the second major leadership change for the remake, following the 2022 departure of original director David Grivel, who had spent over a decade at Ubisoft, working on titles like Splinter Cell: Blacklist, several Far Cry games, and Assassin’s Creed Unity before joining EA to work on the Battlefield series.

The latest round of turmoil surfaced through a now-deleted job listing on Ubisoft’s website, spotted by Tech4Gamers, seeking a new game director for the Splinter Cell remake at the Toronto studio.

The job posting was apparently active for almost five to six weeks before removal, detailing responsibilities such as overseeing NPC AI, stealth tuning, camera systems, and leading the development team to introduce new features while maintaining the franchise’s core espionage gameplay.

Such frequent director turnovers, twice in three years, are often red flags for projects facing internal struggles, similar to delays seen in other Ubisoft remakes like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Despite rumors pointing to the project’s cancellation, Ubisoft insists the remake is progressing, with insiders speculating a possible 2026 release window. 

With over a decade since the last mainline game, the remake could be Ubisoft’s last opportunity to revive the Splinter Cell series, but the repeated change in leadership is raising concerns about whether players will get to don Sam Fisher’s signature night goggles once again.