Don’t count on a PlayStation 3 port of Splinter Cell Conviction. As Ubisoft tells it, Microsoft and Sam Fisher have a beautiful relationship built upon the solid foundations of a shared history. Fisher isn’t looking for love elsewhere: he’s getting all that he requires from the Xbox 360. (Also, it’s easier to develop for just one platform.)
Unnamed developers recently answered fan questions on the official Splinter Cell Conviction message boards. In response to one about the possibilities of PS3 port, Ubisoft explained the title’s Xbox 360 exclusivity as a ‘link of heart,’ successfully ending speculation that Conviction could hit another platform.
“Splinter Cell Conviction is a true Microsoft exclusive title and there are no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other platforms,” the developer said. “There are several reasons behind this choice. First of all, Splinter Cell games are historically linked with Microsoft platforms.”
“The first Splinter Cell on the original Xbox was one of the first games to fully exploit the console’s technical possibilities,” he continued. “At that time, Microsoft really believed in the game potential and provided strong support to promote it. So, there is a ‘link of heart’ between the franchise and the platform. Some games are like this (think of Final Fantasy for instance).
The other, less fun reason why Ubisoft isn’t messing with putting Conviction on the PlayStation 3 is simple: it’s easier to make a game and optimize it for one platform.
“The second reason behind this choice is purely linked to production,” the developer said. “Having a single target platform means that we can optimize the game even further, because we only have one type of — console — hardware to support.”
Well, shucks. And here I was thinking there was enough Sam Fisher to go around.
