Great news for fans of Sam Fisher: Ubisoft has not forgotten about the beloved Splinter Cell series. In a recent move, the company added Steam Achievements to the 2013 release, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, signaling that the franchise is still on their radar. This update, which came overnight, enriches the 12-year-old game's experience on the Steam platform.
Ubisoft announced: "Agents, we are pleased to announce that Steam Achievements are now available for Splinter Cell: Blacklist!" Players who have previously completed achievements in the game will find them retroactively awarded, but they must launch the game at least once to sync these accolades. Ubisoft further explained, "Once synced, the previously unlocked Ubisoft Connect achievements will be automatically unlocked on Steam."
Interestingly, Ubisoft decided against adding the additional 19 online achievements available on console versions to keep the 100% completion achievable on Steam.
The stealth-action series is poised for a comeback with the Splinter Cell Remake. Although details remain sparse, we know the remake will be constructed from scratch using the cutting-edge Snowdrop engine. The last significant update on this project was in 2022 when IGN interviewed Ubisoft Toronto developers about their vision for the game. Creative director Chris Auty shared, “20 years later, we can look back at the plot, the characters, the overall story of the game [and] make some improvements — things that might not have aged particularly well. But the core of the story, the core of the experience will remain as it was in the original game.”
Meanwhile, Ubisoft has been making strategic moves in the industry. Last month, they formed a new subsidiary focused on their Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands, with a significant €1.16 billion (approximately $1.25 billion) investment from Tencent. This comes on the heels of Assassin's Creed Shadows surpassing 3 million players, a critical success amid a backdrop of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations that led to Ubisoft's share price hitting an all-time low. The pressure is on for Ubisoft to deliver successful projects, and the addition of achievements to Splinter Cell: Blacklist on Steam is a step in maintaining engagement with their fanbase.
