Splinter Cell: Conviction storyboards emerge, calling back to game's original 2007 vision

Storyboard art from the original Splinter Cell: Conviction build has emerged, calling back to the game's darker, fugitive-themed roots.

Splinter Cell: Conviction storyboards emerge, calling back to game's original 2007 vision
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TL;DR: Early storyboard art from the cancelled Splinter Cell: Conviction reveals Ubisoft’s original vision of a rugged, fugitive Sam Fisher focused on hand-to-hand combat and survival. This bold departure emphasized stealth in plain sight but was scrapped for straying from core franchise elements.

Calling back to a time when Ubisoft was determined to reinvent the formula for the Splinter Cell series, storyboard art has surfaced on Reddit calling back to the game's original vision.

Credit: Ubisoft
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Credit: Ubisoft

When first showcased in 2007, Splinter Cell: Conviction was a significant departure from anything we'd seen in the series prior. It featured a rugged, unkempt version of Sam Fisher, a stronger emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, and leaned into the theme of "hidden in plain sight" rather than the high-tech stealth operative we'd been accustomed to.

Approximately thirty minutes of footage is available online, and the game more closely resembles a rugged Watch Dogs than it does the John-Wick-style 2010 release. Early gameplay, which leaned into hand-to-hand combat, environmental interaction, and blending into crowds, also reflected that 'fugitive' style theme.

However, these early builds were criticized for deviating too far from the franchise's core elements, and the "Hobo Fisher" iteration of Splinter Cell was scrapped.

Fast forward to 2025, and storyboard concepts have emerged from the cancelled iteration of the game. The images highlight snippets of the on-the-run Fisher, along with a sequence that shows an encounter between Sam and the game's original antagonist, Lawrence Williams.

Like the game's original build, the tone from the leaked artwork leans heavily into the "on-the-run" aspect of the experience. Sam Fisher is still the threat we'd see in Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010), but he's a fugitive - a version of Sam focused on survival rather than annihilation.

In the end, Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010) was released to favourable reviews and holds an 85 Metascore to this day. However, it remains fascinating to envision how the game might have looked, had Ubisoft embraced this bold initial vision.