Splinter Cell: Blacklist delayed, now launching Aug. 20

Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the next entry in Ubisoft's stealth action franchise, will launch Aug. 20, 2013, on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC, according to a new trailer seen on IGN.

Ubisoft originally said when it announced Blacklist during E3 2012 that the game would be available this spring, although the publisher had never given a concrete release date.

Today's trailer (see below) includes footage from recent presidential inaugurations — President Obama's second inauguration is scheduled for next week — with the female president seen in Blacklist enlisting Sam Fisher's help to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

Fisher will not be voiced by longtime series voice actor Michael Ironside in Blacklist; performance capture demands forced Ubisoft to go with a younger actor, Eric Johnson. For more on the game, check out the video Ubisoft released last month, in which developer Ubisoft Toronto explains the team's art direction for Blacklist.

Update: Ubisoft has since released three stills from the trailer, and the game's box art. Check it out below.

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