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Sniper Elite is an innovative open-world shooter defined by its unique blend of stealth and action. We’ve been following Karl Fairburne throughout his classified missions for 20 years now, enjoying every second of watching precision shots smash through the brains of our unfortunate victims. Brilliant as they are, it has to be said that the games have become rather familiar. And at a glance, the next entry in the series is more of the same. But if you haven’t played one for a while or you’re jumping in for the first time, here are some interesting facts about the series to get you in the mood.
5. The Story of The First Game Is Rebooted
Back in 2005, the first Sniper Elite game came out on PS2, Xbox, and PC, and it was a blast. A sniper game that allowed for Co-Op split screen on the console and damn the missions were difficult. The plot of this game is set in 1945 in the final days of WWII, where Karl Fairburne, a German-American sniper, is tasked with stopping Nazis’ nuclear programs and wonder weapons development. Sounds familiar? It should.
Seven years later, the studio behind the successful Sniper Elite released a new game called Sniper Elite V2. Again, we meet Karl Fairburne in this game, and the story is exactly the same but with different names and locations. This is because the plot of the first game got totally pushed aside and a new Sniper Elite series was born in 2012.
4. The Sniper Elite Games Are All Considered Prequels
Speaking of the Sniper Elite V2, this is the only game that’s set in the final days of WWII. The rest of the SE games released throughout these years are all set before that title. Sniper Elite 3 is set in 1942, Sniper Elite 4 is set in 1943, and Sniper Elite 5 is set one year prior to the V2 events. A separate series Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombies is set in a whole other universe.
Now it makes me wonder if the developers are actually going to let go of WWII, now that everything has come full circle. All years of the Second World War are almost covered in 5 installments plus the spin-off Sniper Elite: Resistance, and now it might be the time for the Sniper Elite developers to move on.
3. Sniper Elite: Cold War Is Already Teased
Sniper Elite V2 has one of the most suspicious settings of all time. It’s the end of war and you even kill the invading Soviet forces to stop them from reaching the Nazi wonder weapons and recruiting their scientists. It’s a sense of trust no one and the Cold War vibe going on throughout the story which is directly teased in the ending.
German scientist Dr. Wolff is escaping with the V2 plans to the Soviets and Karl Fairburne assassinates him with a bullet shot from the top of the Brandenburg Gate. But then he states that WWII is over, but the Cold War is beginning, and he is its first soldier. Why not create a Sniper Elite: Cold War Rebellion? Why?…
2. Sniper Elite Developer Studio Has Also Worked on Call of Duty and Medal of Honor
This might come as a surprise, but studio Rebellion’s work is not only limited to Sniper Elite games. Founded by the Kingsley brothers in Oxford, UK, Rebellion Development started its work by developing games for Atari, notably the Alien Vs Predator series.
That didn’t stop the studio from reaching the heights of the shooter genre though, as they’ve also worked with two of the biggest rivals of that time, Medal of Honor, and Call of Duty. Rebellion’s work for Call of Duty: World At War Final Fronts is probably its finest, and it shows how the developers behind the Sniper Elite games are way too familiar with the winner’s formula.
1. We Almost Got A Sniper Elite Battle Royale Game
Almost a year ago, Rebellion’s official YouTube channel posted a video of an upcoming project focusing on the Battle Royale experience. It was called the Project Archipelago, and we were about to receive a BR Sniper Elite game that’d challenge the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty. But, PlayStation’s hero shooter caused its death somehow.
Tencent, the Chinese company behind the new Sniper Elite game stopped funding the project as soon as they saw the failure of Concord. In quite bizarre news they canceled the game, and it seems like the closest we could get to a Battle Royale online Sniper Elite title was August 2024 with its alpha tests.
