Multiplayer confirmed for SC: Conviction
"You're supposed to be like Jack Bauer."
Ubisoft has confirmed multiplayer for the new-look Splinter Cell: Conviction that was unveiled proper at E3 this year.
"We're going to have a multiplayer, but I can't talk about it anymore than that. It's part of the things we're going to announce during the summer," producer Alexandre Parizeau told Joystiq.
"DLC? Yes, it's always part of our strategies. We always want to keep the content fresh, so as soon as the team is done with the game we can move on and continue expanding the experience," he added, cementing the May promise of post-release content for Conviction, Assassin's Creed 2 and James Cameron's Avatar.
Multiplayer historically plays an important role in the Splinter Cell series, but Ubisoft has - until now - been cagey about this next instalment, which is exclusive to Xbox 360 this autumn.
The E3 demonstration we saw was brutal and impressive, and a far cry from the Jason Bourne-style crowd-hiding revealed in 2007.
Those elements "are still a part of the game", however, as Parizeau explained. "But we grounded it in a direction that feels more like a Splinter Cell game," he said, explaining that old friends light and shadow will return.
Conviction features a new skill called Mark and Execute, too. This allows the grizzly Sam Fisher to assess a scene - using a reflection in a mirror, for example - and pick his targets so he can dispatch them quickly when he starts shooting. Offensive stealth, in other words.
"You're supposed to be like Jack Bauer. You're Sam Fisher, the best elite agent in the world. You're supposed to be able to do that kind of stuff," explained Parizeau.
Head over to our Splinter Cell: Conviction gamepage for more videos and screenshots from E3.