'No plan' for Rainbow Six Siege battle royale says Ubisoft

Ubisoft recently unveiled its Year 4 plans for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, outlining a 2019 roadmap of content updates. Alongside major seasonal expansions like Operation Burnt Horizon, the studio has also committed to four "mid-season events," serving as a "playground" beyond three core modes.

In a recent interview DualShockers, Xavier Marquis, Rainbow Six Siege creative director, reportedly discussed the growing battle royale trend. The last-man-standing mode continues to gain traction amid the success of titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends. And while Ubisoft respects its potential, it doesn't see battle royale fitting for Rainbow Six Siege.

No, I am not interested at all in a battle royale. The genre is doing a nice job but it's not Siege. The equation of Siege comes from reality, like real CQB operations; it's always a group trained to defend a specific place and an intervening group trained to intimidate and defeat the threat. This is the equation of Siege. I think the battle royale genre is too much of a stretch and I'm not sure it will be a plus for the game. So, we'll try different things but no.

Also speaking with Rainbow Six Siege Game Director, Leroy Athanassoff, DualShockers reports there's "no plan of adding a battle royale."

The news comes as little surprise, with Ubisoft now solely focused on its team-based objective gameplay. However, Rainbow Six Siege's mid-season events could deliver promising mashups, with rumors of a toy soldier-themed event currently circulating. Previous experiences like Outbreak co-op and the Halloween Mad House proved successful, also deviating from the core Rainbow Six formula.

In the meantime, Rainbow Six Siege is set to receive an Australian-themed update, dubbed Operation Burnt Horizon. Don't miss our hands-on impressions for a deeper dive into new Operators, Gridlock and Mozzie.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.