A Bloomberg report reveals that Ubisoft San Francisco was developing a new Splinter Cell game in 2017, but the project was canceled as the publisher shifted focus toward live service games. Nick Herman, one of the developers involved, shared details about the abandoned project and how management priorities changed during development.
The story involves conflicting accounts from former developers and highlights ongoing struggles in the gaming industry between traditional single-player experiences and live service multiplayer games. The canceled Splinter Cell project eventually transformed into xDefiant, which launched in May 2024 and was shut down seven months later.
2017
Project Started
Splinter Cell development begins at Ubisoft
May 2024
xDefiant Launched
Years after initial concept
15M+
Total Players
Registered before shutdown
7 Months
Active Period
Launch to shutdown announcement
Development Timeline
Follow the complete journey from Splinter Cell concept to xDefiant’s closure
2017
Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, and Pierre Shorette join Ubisoft San Francisco after working on
Tales from the Borderlands. The team begins work on a new Splinter Cell game, aiming to revitalize the series dormant since 2013’s Blacklist.
2017-2018
Ubisoft management shifts focus toward live service games. The Splinter Cell project pivots to incorporate games-as-a-service elements. Herman recalls trying to “make a narrative GAAS game” work, creating multiple prototypes during this period.
February 2018
Herman, Lenart, and Shorette leave Ubisoft after realizing “all of the things you care about, they don’t anymore.” They found AdHoc Studio with Michael Choung, another Telltale veteran who had left earlier.
2019
Mark Rubin joins Ubisoft San Francisco. He later states he canceled an existing project that was “NOT a Splinter Cell game” and allowed the team to pitch new ideas, which led to the development of
xDefiant as an arena shooter.
2019-2024
The project evolves into xDefiant, designed to compete with Call of Duty. The game spends years in playtests and development, moving further from narrative roots toward competitive multiplayer gameplay.
May 2024
xDefiant launches as a free-to-play shooter on May 21, 2024. The game attracts over 15 million registered players. Meanwhile, AdHoc Studio releases Dispatch, which sells 1 million copies in 10 days, demonstrating continued demand for
single-player narrative experiences.
December 2024
On December 3, 2024, Ubisoft announces xDefiant will shut down. New downloads and registrations immediately cease. Developers face layoffs as the San Francisco and Osaka studios close. Bloomberg publishes the report connecting the original Splinter Cell project to xDefiant.
November 2025
Mark Rubin disputes the Bloomberg report via
social media, stating the pivot narrative is “not true” and claiming no Splinter Cell game was in development when he arrived. Servers remain scheduled to close June 3, 2025.
Conflicting Accounts
Two different perspectives emerged about what actually happened during development
Nick Herman
Former Developer | AdHoc Studio Co-Founder
“I was so excited to be a part of this and help revitalize it, because it’s been dormant for a while. And we thought we could tell a great story and do something the fans would love.”
“We tried. Let’s make a narrative GAAS game. We were trying to make that make sense, and a lot of cool prototypes were made.”
“It was exciting to go to work for the first six months because we thought we were going to be able to make something really great. And then you realize that all of the things you care about, they don’t anymore. It’s a common thing in games.”
Mark Rubin
Former xDefiant Director | Joined 2019
“When I got to Ubisoft they had been working on a game for a year that was very ambitious but was struggling to find the fun. And it was NOT a Splinter Cell game.”
“I then canceled that one and let the team pitch any game ideas they wanted. There were some cool ones but I felt the scope/difficulty was too hard on some ideas so we stuck with an arena shooter and we found the fun quickly.”
“So no we didn’t pivot off Splinter Cell to make XDefiant. Now maybe they were thinking about working on Splinter Cell before I got there but it was never a thing while I was there.”
Tale of Two Games
Comparing the outcomes of different development approaches
xDefiant
Business Model
Free-to-Play Live Service
Development Time
~7 Years (2017-2024)
Player Base
15+ Million Registered
Active Period
7 Months After Launch
Final Status
Shut Down December 2024
Dispatch (AdHoc)
Business Model
Premium Single-Player ($29.99)
Development Time
~6 Years (2018-2024)
Sales Performance
1 Million in 10 Days
Critical Reception
Overwhelmingly Positive
Final Status
Commercial Success
The Bloomberg report revealed that Ubisoft San Francisco worked on a Splinter Cell project in 2017. Nick Herman and his team left in February 2018 after the project shifted toward live service elements. Mark Rubin joined Ubisoft in 2019 and disputed claims about a Splinter Cell pivot.
xDefiant launched in May 2024 and shut down seven months later in December 2024, with final servers closing June 3, 2025. The game attracted 15 million players but failed to sustain engagement. A Splinter Cell remake remains in development at Ubisoft Toronto.
AdHoc Studio, founded by the former Ubisoft developers in 2018, released Dispatch in October 2025. The game sold 1 million copies in 10 days, proving demand for narrative-driven single-player games continues in the current market.
