Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Netflix adaptation from John Wick writer gets first look trailer that's so full of moody anime spies, you might forget there hasn't been a new game in 12 years

Netflix revealed the October 14 release date and first trailer for Splinter Cell: Deathwatch – an animated adaptation of Ubisoft's stealthy cool guy franchise – at the Anime NYC convention tonight, and the teaser is filled with more stealthy cool guys than you could ever imagine.

Well, unless you've actually played an installment of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series, which has been quiet (an important aspect of being sneaky!) since Blacklist released in 2013. Fans hoped that the portrait Ubisoft shared on Twitter earlier this summer of protagonist Sam Fisher looking angry and retired meant there was a new Splinter Cell game on the way, but now it seems like they'd be better off accepting a TV show in its place.

Deathwatch's teaser trailer doesn't reveal much about the story from John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, though it does show top-secret military operative Sam (Liev Schreiber, who starred in the live-action Tom Clancy movie The Sum of All Fears over 20 years ago) frowning in the rain. He's running out of time, someone says, though a montage of freshly dead bodies, masked assassins, and strobing handgun fire shows he isn't eager to waste any, either. You can watch the teaser below:

Netflix announced Killing Eve actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste would play original character agent Zinnia McKenna, but the rest of Deathwatch's cast still remains a secret. Ubisoft and Netflix originally announced the show in 2020, and considering that it's been even a few years since then – maybe another Splinter Cell video game isn't completely out of the question, say, another 12 years down the line?

Or, you could just check out our list of the best new games 2025.