Key Highlights:
- Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell Blacklist 101 trailer explains the campaign, Fourth Echelon and Sam Fisher’s Ghost, Panther and Assault playstyles.
- The video also covers the Paladin, Strategic Mission Interface, co-op missions and the returning Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer mode.
- Splinter Cell Blacklist launches later this month for PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.
Ubisoft has released a new 101 trailer for Splinter Cell Blacklist, providing a broad overview of its story, mission structure, playstyles, co-op and competitive multiplayer systems.
The official Blacklist 101 trailer runs for more than seven minutes and is effectively a pre-launch guide to the major systems players will use when Sam Fisher returns later this month.
The story centres on the Engineers, a terrorist organisation carrying out a series of escalating attacks against US interests known as the Blacklist. Their ultimatum demands the withdrawal of American military forces from overseas, with a new attack planned as the countdown continues.
That threat was the focus of the Splinter Cell Blacklist Threat trailer released earlier this month. The 101 trailer now expands the same setup by showing how Sam and Fourth Echelon will respond.
Sam operates from the Paladin, Fourth Echelon’s mobile command centre, alongside Anna Grimsdottir, hacker Charlie Cole and CIA operative Isaac Briggs. At the centre of the aircraft is the Strategic Mission Interface, or SMI, which connects campaign missions, co-op content and competitive multiplayer through a single world map.
The trailer also explains Sam’s three main approaches to missions: Ghost, Panther and Assault.
Ghost rewards avoiding detection and completing objectives without killing enemies where possible. Panther is built around lethal stealth, allowing Sam to eliminate targets without alerting the wider area. Assault supports a more direct combat approach using heavier weapons and open engagement.
From what I can see, this three-style structure is one of the most important changes in Blacklist because it gives the game a way to recognise very different player behaviour without forcing every mission into one preferred solution. The scoring system effectively turns stealth philosophy into a measurable gameplay attribute rather than treating Ghost and Assault as vague playstyle labels.
Blacklist also includes co-op missions starring Sam and Isaac Briggs. Ubisoft has confirmed four co-op mission types across 14 maps, with both online and split-screen play supported on applicable platforms. Progress made through co-op contributes to the wider game economy, allowing players to unlock weapons and gadgets that carry across modes.
Competitive multiplayer returns through Spies vs. Mercs. The mode once again pits agile, stealth-focused Spies against heavily armed Mercenaries, while Blacklist expands the concept with additional variants and broader character customisation.
The 101 trailer therefore acts less like a conventional promotional video and more like a complete overview of how Blacklist connects its campaign, side missions, co-op and multiplayer content through the Paladin and SMI.
Splinter Cell Blacklist launches on August 20 in North America for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U, with other regional releases following later that week.
Later update: Ubisoft continued breaking down the systems shown in the 101 trailer almost immediately. Three days later, a Splinter Cell Blacklist co-op walkthrough provided a more detailed look at Sam and Briggs working together, directly expanding one of the major modes introduced here.
The finished game retained the integrated structure promoted in the trailer, with the SMI linking campaign missions, co-op assignments and Spies vs. Mercs from the Paladin. Over time, however, the online side of Blacklist became a historical feature rather than a permanent part of the package, with multiplayer and co-op functionality later becoming unavailable.
GLN later reported that Steam Achievements were added to Splinter Cell Blacklist in 2025, with online-only achievement requirements removed so completion was no longer tied to multiplayer services that could no longer be used.
