New Splinter Cell forming at Ubisoft Toronto

After years of delays, Ubisoft's Montreal studio managed to get Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction into gamers' hands in April. Thus far, the stealth action shooter appears to be enjoying a measure of critical and commercial success, garnering solid reviews and topping NPD's (admittedly weak) sales chart for the month of April with 486,100 units sold on the Xbox 360 alone.

With Ubisoft announcing plans earlier this month to release iterations in its hit franchises at more regular intervals, it comes as no surprise that the French publisher has already begun work on Sam Fisher's next espionage outing. Today, the publisher said that it has tasked its new Toronto studio as the lead developer on the next installment in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise. Details on the project were not revealed, and Ubisoft offered no expected window for delivery.

Ubisoft established its Toronto studio in 2009, thanks in large part to a C$263 million ($246 million) grant by the Canadian government. The studio is managed by Jade Raymond, who gained prominence as the producer of the original Assassin's Creed in 2007.

Ubisoft Toronto currently boasts some 40 employees, though the publisher has committed to hire roughly 800 before the turn of the decade. While no other projects have been revealed, Ubisoft noted that the production house has a "roster of ambitious AAA titles" in the works. The publisher also emphasized that the studio is actively hiring.