Ubisoft files trademark for ‘Splinter Cell’ just weeks before E3

By Gabe Gurwin Published June 9, 2017

Ubisoft E3 2017 Lineup Reveal

Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell series hasn’t received a new installment since Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013, and protagonist Sam Fisher has been absent from the company’s E3 presentations for three years in a row. But it appears that the series’ famous trifocal goggles could be making a comeback, as the publisher recently filed a trademark application for the Splinter Cell name.

Ubisoft submitted its trademark filing for Splinter Cell on May 15 — less than a month before it was scheduled to present at E3. The filing lists only “Splinter Cell,” and not a specific subtitle, which could possibly point to a full reboot for the series. If true, it would be the first time one of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy games was rebooted from the ground up. It’s worth nothing, however, that Ubisoft filed a similar trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office back in October 2016, so there’s a chance it’s just routine.

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This isn’t the first time the rumor mill has swirled regarding a new Splinter Cell game. Last summer, it was reported that actor Michael Ironside, who voiced Sam Fisher in every game except Blacklist, had discussed returning to the role in a new game. The same source who revealed the information had previously shared details on Watch Dogs 2 which later turned out to be true.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist didn’t meet Ubisoft’s sales expectations back in 2013, but the Clancy brand has seen something of a resurgence since then. The Division broke launch sale records for a new intellectual property last year, and Rainbow Six Siege continues to receive content for a sizeable player-base. Ghost Recon: Wildlands is currently the best-selling game of 2017, as well.

If a new Splinter Cell game is on the way, we’re guaranteed to hear about it at Ubisoft’s E3 conference on June 12. The publisher will also be showing off games like Far Cry 5 and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and the show will be run by developers in place of longtime host Aisha Tyler.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

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Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June

The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect.
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release.
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

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E3 2023 returns in June with separate business and consumer days

E3 2023 will return as an in-person event from June 13 to June 16, 2023, as announced by ReedPop today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already revealed that E3 will return in 2023, but now we know exactly when the event will take place, along with several other key details. E3 will once again take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a four-year hiatus, but will incorporate separate days for industry professionals and general consumers.