During the Rainbow Six Invitational 2022, Ubisoft released tons of new information about the future of the Rainbow Six Siege. This includes the roadmap for upcoming Year 7, details about the Year 7, Season 1, and how the rest of 2022 will look for Ubisoft’s highly-competitive tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege. Rainbow Six Invitational is the title’s most prestigious eSports competition and Ubisoft has been using the platform for years to share new details about it.
Starting with the upcoming Year 7, the developer team is aiming to bring new features and updates dedicated to improving the experience of eSports viewers including:
- Additional observer slots to improve broadcast quality: coming this spring with the game’s Year 7 Season 2 release, 3 additional observer slots will be added to custom online games, adding up to a total of 4 dedicated observer slots. These additional slots will offer fans a clearer picture of the action going on during any online matches, thus bringing online competitions to the same broadcast quality as LAN events.
- New angles to explore with detached operator camera: in Year 7, Ubisoft is looking to allow to detach the camera showing an Operator’s point of view during a match to put it anywhere on the map, thus providing new angles to explore and new ways to engage viewers.
- Improved replay functionalities: while continuing to work on improving the replay feature across the board, key priorities for Year 7 will be to increase the shelf life of replay files, by making them accessible during the entire game season and adding features to directly select and report suspicious players while watching a replay.
All of these changes will be implemented throughout 2022 for making it easier for fans to enjoy the 2022 competitive season and beyond. The season will kick off on March 9, 2022, with the start of Stage 1 or four regional leagues in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. Ubisoft also shared a roadmap of all international events for Rainbow Six eSports 2022.
Season 2022:
- Stage 1 Major – May 2022: United States
- Stage 2 Major – August 2022: United Arab Emirates
- Stage 3 Major – November 2022: Asia
Six Invitational: while the location and details are still in discussions for the 2023 edition, the Six Invitational will leave Montreal in 2024 to start exploring new locations on a regular basis.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Rainbow Six World Cup has been pushed into 2023. The R6 Share program is also getting adjustments and updates for Year 7. These include a simplified Tier allocation system for teams in the program, moving from a 3-tier system to a 2-tier system. Moving to Year 7 Season 1, Ubisoft has officially unveiled the first season for Year 7 called the Operation Demon Veil.
Operation Demon Veil will introduce a new Japanese Operator called Azami, a new map, a permanent Team Deathmatch game mode along with tons of gameplay updates including Attacker Repick, universal sights, and more.
In Demon Veil, uncover the secrets of Azami, an enigmatic new Defender – equipped with the Kiba Barrier gadget, her throwable canisters deploy an expandable material that solidifies into a bulletproof surface, providing fast cover. Azami’s gadget allows her to quickly repair holes in walls and floors, creating for a more mobile and versatile defensive approach. Azami is a medium speed, medium health Operator, and her loadout features a 9X19SVN or an ACS12 as a primary weapon and a D-50 as a secondary weapon.
The new map to arrive in the game is Emerald Plains which is set in Ireland. It is a modern country club that challenges you to master a new environment and its multiple levels. Attacker Repick is also coming to Year 7 Season 1 which will allow Attackers to change their Operator and loadout during the Preparation Phase. This will allow Attackers to use the intel gathered and adjust their strategy during the Preparation Phase.
The match header has been updated as well to help make informed decisions when changing the Operator and loadout. Attacker Repick is available in all game modes including Quick Match, Unranked, Ranked and Pro League playlists. Demon Veil also brings a permanent Team Deathmatch game mode which will create the perfect environment for players to warm up and practice their aim before competitive matches.
Additional features coming to the game in Rainbow Six Siege Year 7 Season 1 are Match Replay for console players, a spectator mode, Operator balancing updates for Goyo and Valkyrie, and exclusive Elite skin for Nomad. A brand-new Incentive Program is also launching in which players report issues on R6Fix and if their status reaches ‘Under Investigation’, they will be rewarded with one reward per season. This is available to players on both the Test Server and the Live Server.
Ubisoft also shared details about the future of Rainbow Six Siege for the year 2022 including Season 2 which will add a Belgian Operator to the game and an exclusive Team Deathmatch map set in Greece. Season 3’s Operator will be from Singapore along with a new competitive map and the last operator of the year will be from Colombia. Year 7 will also see the developer taking serious measurements for anti-cheat and a Reputation System for players.
The Reputation System will monitor player behavior such as griefing or player disconnects. Season 2 will tackle players who misuse friendly fire through sanctions restricting reverse friendly fire as well as improving match cancellations. Season 3 will allow players to report others in options such as Match Replay to address harassment in voice and video chat. It will also introduce the Reputation System which will go live in Season 4 moving forward to deploying rewards and sanctions to block repeat offenders.
Until March 21, you can get the limited-time Year Pass for $40 or the Premium Year Pass for $60. The Year Pass unlocks four seasonal Battle Passes which includes 14-day early access to new Operators when they launch white the Premium Year Pass unlocks four Battle Passes, the early access to new Operators, exclusive Exotic Weapon skins, VIP credits, and more. Players who purchase the Premium Year Pass will also unlock extra 20 Tiers out of 100, receiving awards quicker. Additional changes include:
- Console Gameplay – Console players will receive several dedicated updates this year including aim control personalization, new controller input presets, and field of view settings.
- Onboarding Features – To better introduce new players to Rainbow Six Siege, Year 7 adds a Shooting Range: playable spaces to practice, train, and experiment without the pressure of a match. Another onboarding tool, Operator Tips, will let players get to know each Operator, their gadgets, and any tips that might be helpful for Attacker or Defender strategies.
- Balancing And Playlist Updates – The development team will continue reworking several Operators this year including Zero, Bandit, Dokkaebi, and Thatcher. Year 7 will add Team Deathmatch and Arcade permanently to the playlist, as well as revamping the Ranked experience to reflect a player’s progression better.
You will be glad to know that Rainbow Six Siege will be adding cross-play and cross-progression near the end of 2022 as well. This is perhaps one of the features that players have been asking for for ages. Rainbow Six Siege is currently available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
What are your thoughts on Rainbow Six Siege Year 7 and the new Season 1 along with the additional 2022 roadmap? Are you going to jump back in the game to try out the new season? Let us know in the comments section below.
