Splinter Cell: Double Agent slips

By Tom Bramwell Published 27 January, 2006

Largely so there are more 360s.

While doing its financial thing this week, Ubisoft's said that Splinter Cell: Double Agent has been put back from March to September of this year.

"[T]he rescheduling to September 2006 of the launch of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent is meant to release the title on all platforms simultaneously, including the Microsoft Xbox 360 that should have a much larger installed base by that time," says Ubi's statement.

"This will also enable to maintain the highest quality for which Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is recognized. This rescheduling will ensure the best return from the coming release as well as from future sequels of this brand over time."

Double Agent sees famously rugged spy-man Sam Fisher going undercover in an attempt to infiltrate a nasty terrorist group, a bit like Jack Bauer except with climbing on the ceiling. There's more info elsewhere on the site.

Also, it's worth pointing out that Splinter Cell: Double Agent's slip shouldn't effect the PSP version - Splinter Cell Essentials - which is due out between now and March.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (19) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Rambaldi #1 6 years ago

    It's got little to do with the 360 - they would shift loads of Xbox and PS2 copies anyway. It's a tactic that Ubi have used before and I very much doubt that more work will be done on it. Anyone remeber how much Lockdown was shifted and how underdeveloped that felt despite us being told that it would be? How about the logic that there are few new releases sheduled over the next month or so and they would have made a killing being one of the few out there? Bloody goalpost shifters!!!!
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/06 @ 11:45

  • Talha #2 6 years ago

    I think they are working for it to be a PS3 launch title, and don't want Solid Snake taking away all the sales.

    As a conspiracy theory, it is better than many!

  • Rambaldi #3 6 years ago

    You're probably right. You know I remeber about three years ago Ubi seemed to just do what was right for the gamer. They did things that felt new. All of a sudden they've turned into a sequel-ridden money driven bunch of suits. Maybe that attempted hostile takeover by EA left a bigger mark than was initially thought? Sigh..would've been nice to play SC4 sooner though..sequel or no.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/06 @ 11:56

  • mrsquare #4 6 years ago

    'affect'

  • tengu #5 6 years ago

    No Splinter Cell till September? How will I survive?

    This is probably good news for 360 owners though, as March is already a pretty heavy month. Assuming nothing else slips :)
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/06 @ 12:06

  • Eldritch #6 6 years ago

    This comes as no big surprise.

  • Fatfish #7 6 years ago

    But surely if they are delaying the release of a top title because there aren't enough people who own a 360, then by reducing the number of decent titles available at the moment, they will only slow the preocess of people buying in to the 360?!? Hello.........logic Ubi?!?!? D'oh.

  • Furbs #8 6 years ago

    Thank god for that. Have you seen the release schedule on the 360 for March?!

    Like tengu said before me :(

    Should have refreshed before replying.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/06 @ 12:15

  • HarryB #9 6 years ago

    if ubi release ghost recon in march, they probably feel like they are wasting the hype potential by releasing splinter cell at the same time... they need to space out their good quality titles for the maximum ca-ching

  • morriss #10 6 years ago

    :( - Bastards

  • Furbs #11 6 years ago

    Oh cheer up morriss...remember...

    /jabs
    /uppercuts

    Got that for March.

  • kangarootoo #12 6 years ago

    @Rambaldi

    "It's got little to do with the 360 - they would shift loads of Xbox and PS2 copies anyway"

    I'm not sure I agree that it has little to do with the 360. "loads of" isn't really a term used in business, not when compared with "the maximum possible".

    I'm sure there are other reasons too, such as Talha's comment about it being a PS3 launch title (one launch obviously costs shit loads less than two seperate ones), but I don't think we can dismiss their "larger installed base" motive as a big fat lie.

    If they want Splinter Cell to continue to be a premium title, having a decent installed base (as opposed to most of their copies being sold on previous gen platforms) is an important part of establishing the name on the new hardware.
    Edited by 1 at 27/01/06 @ 12:41

  • Fokofsnake #13 6 years ago

    I've read that playing Resident Evil 4 on GameCube inspired some Splinter Cell hotshot on reinventing and bettering the series.

    So by that I hope it sticks somewhere in the development consciousness and pushes the Cube to the max!

  • Rambaldi #14 6 years ago

    @AlMcd:"Eh? You complain that they're releasing too many sequels then say you can't wait for their next sequel?"

    I think you'll find that I said "it would be nice to play SC4". Bit of difference between that and "can't wait".

    I don't particulalry have a problem wih sequels (as they as they push the IP forward), I was just highlighting the fact that Ubi seem to be doing more and more and fewer original IPs like they were 3 or so years ago. Shame. They were good at it.
    Edited by 3 at 27/01/06 @ 15:04

  • McP #15 6 years ago

    To clarify what mrsquare said:
    In the final paragraph
    "[The] slip shouldn't effect the PSP version"
    should be changed to
    "[The] slip shouldn't affect the PSP version"
    Affect is a verb, effect is a noun.

  • Mr_Brown #16 6 years ago

    The first of many of the Xbox 360 games to be delayed no doubt. I bet you Gears Of War is next to slip to Sep/November time.

  • Diabeu #17 6 years ago

    I can wait, as long as I'll receive high quality product

  • kgthatsme #18 6 years ago

    After completing the first game I had no desire whatsoever to continue buying these games.

  • admir #19 6 years ago

    Sprinter Cell for the psp sounds good