Splinter Cell: Blacklist is in a difficult position. The game must atone for the failings of previous title Conviction, whilst bringing something new to the table. Ubisoft showed off a torture scene at E3, but much of the response has been negative.

Blacklist director David Footman suggests this criticism is unwarranted.

“Everyone can make kneejerk reactions to a vertical slice of the game that are really uninformed as to what the whole experience is like,” he told Eurogamer. “We really have to be patient as we roll out each item about the game.”

“The proof is always going to be in the pudding. Talk is talk, and it is just all talk right now. We really need to get a demo out there, for people to see how you can ghost levels, to see the gameplay. It seems to be an overreaction because people are just seeing the ‘pow!’, the explosiveness.”

Footman comments on the E3 footage, indicating it was shown to promote a reaction.

“What we showed at E3 was very explosive, very violent. That kind of stuff tends to get shown, but as we roll out different aspects of the game you’ll see a lot more diversity and lot more of what hardcore fans are expecting to see.”

The developer suggested such scenes are reminiscent of the real-world.

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“What people won’t say, but what they’ll dance around, is that is the price of freedom to protect Americans and their sedans and SUVs.”

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is scheduled for a PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release in Spring 2013.