Ghost Recon Wildlands’ Splinter Cell mission gives Metal Gear Solid a nod

Ghost Recon Wildlands apparently doffs its cap to legendary stealth behemoth Metal Gear Solid as part of its Splinter Cell-themed mission.

The not-so-subtle nod takes place during a cut scene following completion of the mission, where Sam Fisher (voiced by Michael Ironside) is discussing his absence with Karen Bowman, who observes he’s ‘clocked some miles’ since their last encounter. In response, Fisher gives an obvious nod to Solid Snake/Big Boss.

‘There was this other guy though – army infiltration. He wore a bandanna or something,’ says Fisher, clearly referencing the gruff, neck-snapping hero of Hideo Kojima’s venerable stealth-action franchise. He’s then informed that the individual has retired, to which he responds, ‘Really?…Then it’s only me.’ Awww. 

Metal Gear Solid’s future remains unknown following Kojima’s departure from Konami in December 2015, although that didn’t stop the publisher from churning out the zombie-themed spin-off Metal Gear Survive earlier this year. Whether or not this means we’ll see a Metal Gear Solid 6 down the line remains to be seen.

Splinter Cell has been MIA since 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a game that did a lot right but did not feature Ironside in his iconic role as he was unable to perform motion capture for the project. Ubisoft has yet to make any formal announcement about a new Splinter Cell at this point, however.