If you bet money that Splinter Cell: Conviction represented the end of the story of Sam Fisher, a) you're not a very smart gambler and b) you just lost. Jade Raymond, quite possibly the world's best-known female game developer, has confirmed to MCV that Ubisoft's Toronto studios are currently working on another Splinter Cell game, the sixth in the franchise's history.

The company has hired an additional 83 employees to work specifically on the project, including animators, audio technicians, and concept artists. Ms. Raymond, who runs the Toronto locaton for Ubi, stated that within the next decade, the company is hoping to get the total number of people working there to "at least 800". Raymond's previous work has included producing all three Assassin's Creed games for Ubisoft, as well as working on The Sims Online for EA and a pair of trivia games for Sony Online Entertainment.

If you're wondering if the storyline for the game will pick up where Conviction left it off, well, it's too early to say. Raymond only confirmed that the game is in development, but did not provide any further details. Without spolining the end of the last game, it seems likely that the action will be a continuation, but that's pure speculation. As a fan of Sam Fisher's hijinks, I'll be looking forward to details on this one.