10 Times Video Games RECAST Major Roles

Before it went into obscurity, the Splinter Cell franchise stood alongside the likes of Metal Gear Solid as a defining stealth experience. In-between hiding and taking out guards, players were treated to the gravelly voice of Michael Ironside, who played protagonist Sam Fisher with a sarcastic, remorseful tone. This persisted across every mainline title up to Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Michael Ironside's classic performance as Sam Fisher was traded out for a much younger sounding Eric Johnson in 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Ubisoft has said this was done for the purposes of motion capture; they needed an actor who would embody Sam Fisher's physical prowess as well as his voice.

While it didn't impact the gameplay experience, filling the boots of a very well-received performance was going to be a challenge for Johnson. As opposed to the gruff and introspective agent we had in the past, Eric's performance does feel more by the book.

It's now been more than seven years since the last Splinter Cell game, though Michael Ironside did return to the character for a brief yet poignant reflection on the AAA stealth genre. When Sam Fisher will come out of the shadows in anyone's guess, as is the case with the actor playing him.