Splinter Cell's complexity is holding back its popularity, says Raymond

Splinter Cell's complexity is stopping it from becoming as popular as Far Cry or Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft Toronto head Jade Raymond has suggested. The team is currently working towards the release of Splinter Cell Blacklist, an entry that seems to go back to the complex stealth mechanics the series is known for.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Raymond offered her own theory on why Splinter Cell hasn't hit the same heights as its stablemates, "One of the things that held it back is despite all of the changes that have happened over the years, it's still one of the more complex and difficult games to play.

"Even though we do have core fans who are like, 'Oh, I want to have more of this experience,' when you play any other game that has stealth elements, they're all a lot more forgiving than Splinter Cell. I guess Splinter Cell stayed with the most pure approach to that stealth experience."

Raymond acknowledged that previous entry Splinter Cell Conviction took a more action-heavy approach, but stressed that Blacklist is a return to form, and the stealth ideals that founded the franchise.

"Splinter Cell still really is a thinking game," she added. "It's really about being intelligent and taking that time in the first phase to plan out how you're going to do things, and understanding the elements, and even planning your gadgets and your load-out and being smart about it.

"That's where you get the thrill, but it's a different way of playing than most games on the market these days."

Based on footage we've seen of the game running so far, do you think that Blacklist really is going back to the series' roots? Let us know what you think below.

Splinter Cell Blacklist drops across North America on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 from August 20, and across Europe from August 23.