Splinter Cell fans have finally gotten their wish -- sort of. While it isn't exactly a new game, Sam Fisher will be making a surprise appearance as a playable character in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. The reveal came out of nowhere when Ubisoft dropped a new trailer depicting an older Sam Fisher looking to teach some lessons to the newbies.

In the eyes of many stealth game veterans, Sam Fisher is a legendary sneaking operative up there with the likes of Solid Snake. The unfortunate truth of the manner is that Fisher has been in retirement for a while, with his last game, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, coming out in 2013. With him being out of the game for so long, Fisher's legacy has mostly fallen back into the shadows of obscurity. Let's shed some light back onto Fisher's career and see where it all began.

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The first game Fisher ever appeared in was 2002's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. This came at a time when stealth games were one of the most prominent genres in gaming, with titles like Metal Gear Solid and Thief laying the foundation of the genre. Unlike other stealth titles, Splinter Cell sought to add more realism within their games. This meant introducing equipment an actual spy might use, more emphasis on sneaking and heavier consequences for being detected. One of the main draws of Splinter Cell was the focus on a "light and dark" meter that indicated visibility to the player. This mechanic wasn't exactly new, but it made the player focus more on stealth rather than just running and gunning.

There's more to being a Splinter Cell than just being sneaky, though. Splinter Cells are agents deployed by a branch of the NSA called Third Echelon. Their main purpose is to collect intelligence in a more "classical" approach, with the use of cutting edge surveillance and combat technology. The branch is allowed to conduct clandestine actives for the sake of homeland security, but are not acknowledged by the U.S government. The name "Splinter Cell" refers to agents being akin to a sliver of glass -- small, sharp and almost completely invisible. As Sam Fisher, players work as a lone operative in hostile territory, only supported by a remote team. Fisher, a former Navy SEAL who participated in multiple operations (including the Gulf War), was a perfect candidate for the Splinter Cell program due to his field skills and background.

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In his first mission as a Splinter Cell (or his second, if you've read the books), Fisher is tasked with locating two agents who have gone missing in Tbilisi, Georgia. Fisher discovers that both the agents have been killed by an ex-Spetznaz mercenary working with the Georgian Defense Ministry. Investigating into why they were killed, Fisher learns that the president of Georgia, Kombayn Nikoladze, had been engaged in ethnic-cleansing operations in Azerbaijan. Fisher is detected and able to escape, but exposing the Georgian President forces him to go into hiding and kick-start the Georgian military to create chaos in Azerbaijan.

While mayhem is erupting in Azerbaijan, Fisher continues his investigation and eventually learns of The Ark, a nuclear suitcase bomb hidden somewhere in the United States. Fisher is able to eventually locate The Ark by cornering Nikoladze and extracting the information from him. Fisher would go on to become a popular stealth icon, as Splinter Cell became a renowned gaming series with many entries and a thoughtful, twisting narrative.

Still, Splinter Cell has been stalled for some time, with Fisher's appearance in Rainbow Six: Siege being his first in some time, having only appeared in cameos and easter eggs for the past several years, though he is a playable character in Ubisoft's upcoming mobile hero title, Tom Clancy's Elite Squad. Whether his Rainbow Six appearance is a cameo or the beginning of a Splinter Cell resurgence is something fans will just have to wait to see.

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