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Splinter Cell series coming to Netflix from John Wick creator

Netflix and Ubisoft are partnering to create an "adult" animated series based on the gaming franchise.

Donovan Erskine

July 30, 2020 1:15 PM

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Once upon a time, movie and television adaptations of video games were practically always bad. Sometimes, to the embarrassment of the creatives behind the source material. In recent years however, we’ve gotten some decent, might I say awesome video game movies and shows. We’re set to receive another take one a beloved video game franchise with Netflix’s upcoming Splinter Cell series. 

Ubisoft is partnering with Netflix to create an animated series based on the Splinter Cell series of video games. As originally reported by Variety, the Splinter Cell series will be written and executively produced by Derek Kolstad, who fans will recognize as the writer behind the acclaimed John Wick films. The Splinter Cell series is set to be an animated and “adult” take on the property. Netflix has made a two-season, 16 episode order of the series. 

It’s currently unknown if the Splinter Cell show will follow the plot of one of the games, or if it will even star protagonist Sam Fisher. Netflix has been going all in on video game adaptations. We’ve previously received official word confirming the development of series based on Cyberpunk 2077, Cuphead, and Dragon’s Dogma, just to name a few. Following the major success that was 2019’s The Witcher, it stands to reason that Netflix would want to dive deeper into the wealth of video game stories ripe for adaptation.

It’s been many years since the Splinter Cell franchise got an installment with 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Sam Fisher’s last outing was well received by both fans and critics, leaving many to wonder why the franchise has sat dormant for 7 years. If the Netflix series performs well, perhaps it could be the motivation that Ubisoft needs to bring the gaming franchise back. For more on Netflix’s constantly growing list of in-development video game projects, stay right here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_