The title benefits from the maturity of the video game medium

Nov 8, 2012 23:31 GMT  ·  By

Patrick Redding, the game director working on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, says that violence is an important theme for his project but that it also tackles a number of other themes that will be clear to players once it is launched.

He tells GamesIndustry.biz that, “I think most of us would like there to be more different kinds of games out there. And if we can do that, if we can provide games that are of interest to a more diverse audience and relatable to a wider range of people, then the presence of some games that are still more violent or action-oriented is going to be less disturbing.”

An ability to tackle violence in a serious way is a sign that the video game medium is a mature one and that it can create experiences that appeal to more than the base instincts of the audience.

Redding also talked about the effect that player and enemy violence will have in Splinter Cell: Blacklist and how the game will approach it.

He adds, “It won’t just be about having beautifully rendered blood and extra-visceral bone-breaking sounds. It’ll be more about the decisions, the choice of, ‘Do I believe that ethically, the situation is bad enough for me to do something really terrible to this person in order to get a certain game result?’”

Splinter Cell: Blacklist will see players control Sam Fischer as the government appoints him as the leader of a new anti-terror organization called Fourth Echelon.

The organization will need to tackle a mysterious new cabal of home grown terrorists who are launching attacks against civilians for as long as the United States continue to be involved in overseas conflicts.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist will be out before the end of spring 2013, on the PC, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.