Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell ready for a remake

The 2002 stealth action game Splinter Cell is the latest title to be getting a gaming makeover.

The original introduced lead character Sam Fisher to players around the world and is famous for the evocative image of his green night vision goggles.

News of the remake came out of the blue on developer Ubisoft's Youtube channel.

The trend of remaking older games has grown in recent years with the Final Fantasy and Resident Evil franchises leading the way.

For some re-visiting titles suggests the gaming industry is running out of ideas.

Others argue it's a great way to introduce iconic storylines to a new generation of players, and to preserve the history of gaming.

The creators of the Mass Effect remasters, which were released earlier this year, argue that there's room for new titles and remakes to sit alongside each other.

"If we're moving forward with new technology, new ideas and new stories as well - then I think it's totally viable," said writer and director Mac Walters

It's been 19 years since the first Splinter Cell and developers say they will completely remake the game from the ground up, rather than tweak and improve the original code.

Stealth games - where players are asked to infiltrate enemy's lairs without being discovered - were all the rage back then, and Splinter Cell battled it out with the Metal Gear franchise to be the king of the "sneak-em-ups".

Given the title's strapline was "stealth action redefined", it's no surprise that the team behind this new version say they're hoping to use the power of the latest gaming consoles to create a more atmospheric and immersive experience, while staying true to the essence of the original.

However the games industry has changed dramatically since 2002 and players now are used to big, expansive canvases that they can explore at their own pace.

Can a game that relies on a linear story, with a series of limited choices (even if tense and atmospheric) find an audience today?

The last time we saw a game from the franchise was 2013's release Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

Since then, there have often been rumours of a return but Ubisoft have never chosen to invest money in trying to make the franchise relevant again - until now.

However, games that have been remade or remastered have had a mixed response from critics and players.

The Final Fantasy 7 remake which was released in 2020 has been praised for the way in which it brings the 1997 title to modern audiences.

This year's Mass Effect remaster was also well received.

But Grand Theft Auto and Pokemon games re-versioned for the latest consoles in 2021 have not gone down as well. GTA, in particular, was criticised for crudely updated graphics, missing songs and many other bugs and glitches.

Matt West, who will is producing the new Splinter Cell says "a remake takes what you'd do in a remaster and goes a little bit further.

"The original Splinter Cell has a lot that was revolutionary at the time it came out. The gaming public now has an even more refined palate.

"It has to be a remake as opposed to a remaster."

The Splinter Cell project is still in the early stages of development so don't expect any news on a release date for a while.