Hundreds of thousands of diehard Rainbow Six: Siege fans tuned in simultaneously to watch the Six Invitational over the weekend. And during it, the developers gave us a deeper look at what’s coming to the fantastic tactical shooter in year 5 and beyond.
The dev diary touches on Year 5 and Year 6 starting at 0:49. Siege Product Director Roy Del Valle breaks down what’s coming in both years. The first two seasons of Year 5 will look familiar to fans. Two new operators, a map rework, and a new event are the main pieces the devs plan on delivering. Arcade playlists and the Battle Pass are also coming.
The second half of Year 5 is where things start to shift as the developers transition into their Year 6 plan. Once again, we’ll see map reworks, events, and the Battle Pass – but this time, Siege will get just one operator each season.
Del Valle explains the single operator, “will be counterbalanced with new core gameplay content.” We’ll also see more backstory for these new operators. I’m digging how developers are pushing story in multiplayer-focused shooters like Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six: Siege.
In Year 6, each season will launch with a new Battle Pass, one operator, and maps (reworks or new ones, the devs didn’t specify). Not every piece of content is coming at the season launch, though. According to the devs, new gameplay features and operator reworks will hit throughout each season.
Del Valle says it gives the devs a little breathing room to deliver the content when it’s ready, while also holding back a few surprises for players. It’s a good move. We’re all so used to seeing updates in our favorite games these days, we start itching for new content faster than ever. A constant drip of content throughout the season is a smart way to keep antsy fans happy.
100 operators is still the goal, but Lead Game Designer Jean-Baptiste Halle explains the devs want to put more work into “things that have an impact on each of the rounds that you are playing while playing the game.”
That includes a more robust ping system, and more gadgets every operator can equip.
In other Siege news, Ubisoft plans to have its most popular shooter taking advantage of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hardware on day one. Cross-play is also something the devs want to see. “We are ready to support that,” Game Director Leroy Athanassof told Windows Central. Athanassof says it’s a discussion for Microsoft and Sony to have, and “it’s just a matter of time before it happens.”