Ubisoft has just canceled the Splinter Cell VR title that was supposed to be released exclusively on Meta VR headsets.
The news comes as a blow to Oculus Quest 2 owners who missed out on a potentially amazing VR game. It could have leveraged a beloved franchise along with the budget and experience that a AAA studio like Ubisoft can bring. But it’s also a huge disappointment for Splinter Cell fans.
The news comes from a Ubisoft Earnings Call (opens in new tab), where CEO Yves Guillemot announced that Splinter Cell VR, Ghost Recon Frontline, and two other unannounced games were being scrapped. If you want to dig into the details, you’ll need to fill in the details to access the audio file of the call and jump to the 9:30 mark.
Ubisoft has decided to cancel these games to reduce its operating costs and focus on what it believes are its biggest development opportunities. Based on other comments from the same call, this likely refers to franchises like Rainbow Six and Assassin’s Creed as they surpassed Ubisoft’s expectations as well as opportunities in the mobile gaming space.
Splinter Cell VR has been set to be the first new game in the series since the release of Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013. With this game now canned, the next time sniper fans will likely see Sam Fisher return to action is in the remake of Splinter Cell. Although it still doesn’t have a release date.
back to the shadows
Ubisoft announced Splinter Cell VR in 2020, where it also revealed plans to deliver Assassin’s Creed VR. Both titles were being developed in collaboration with Meta, with the latter still in the works.
While no platform was explicitly mentioned at the time, many took this partnership to mean that the games would be exclusive to Quest 2 and upcoming Meta hardware, such as the long-awaited Project Cambria and rumored Oculus Quest 3. This would line up with other Meta collaborations. similar, such as his work with Capcom to bring Resident Evil 4 VR to Quest 2 exclusively.
Hopefully the cancellation of Splinter Cell VR isn’t a plus to come. While the Oculus Quest 2 is a very popular device (selling nearly 15 million units since launch), it could be discontinued if other major titles are canceled as well. This includes not just Assassin’s Creed VR, but GTA San Andreas VR, which was announced at the 2021 Meta Gaming showcase and hasn’t been heard from since.
If you’re looking for something you can play on your favorite VR headset, check out our picks for the best Oculus Quest 2 games.