We've known for quite some time that Ubisoft Montreal was developing the next installment in the Rainbow Six franchise. Thanks to some leaked information late last week and official confirmation yesterday, Rainbow 6 Patriots is official (now with a "6" instead of a "Six").

With the announcement came an art rendering, box cover art, a release window and most importantly, some idea of what the story of Rainbow 6 Patriots will tell. A day later and Ubisoft has more to share about the game, answering many of the fan questions about what to expect about the return of Rainbow Six through a video.

The video runs over 6 (six) minutes long and features Ubisoft's Rainbow 6 Patriots Creative Director David Sears introducing the video, which he describes as "target gameplay." It's not actual gameplay and instead is what they're aiming for at this point in development.

The conceptual footage does confirm a few basic gameplay details and clarify the style of the title:

  • First-person gameplay with certain moments and cover done in third-person.
  • Full tactical display with squad control options and enemy tagging.
  • Tech not dissimilar to Ghost Recon.
  • Multiple perspectives/characters mid-mission
  • Lively environments with NPC civilians.

Watch the introductory video and see for yourself:

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Ubisoft is going all out with this unapologetic video. From a scary house invasion to shooting cops in the legs and an innocent child getting shot in the head, Rainbow 6 Patriots is making no joke about the dangers and horror of terrorism on the homefront.

In addition to the gameplay we can expect, the video also hints at the greater story. The man with the bomb being told by the terrorist house invaders in the intro: "You really did cash in on everyone else getting forclosed, didn't you?"

In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, Team Rainbow faces a new and very real threat called the “True Patriots,” a highly-trained, well-organized revolutionary group that claim the American government is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests.  The True Patriots will do whatever it takes to reclaim their country.  Playing as Team Rainbow, players will face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.

After following Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for a few years now, it seems that if Ghost Recon is outdoor, open expanses, Rainbow Six is all about the urban environments. We're seeing a lot of overlap with gameplay features and visual styles, with the exception that Ghost Recon employs a cyan color scheme where as Rainbow 6 Patriots is red. We're observant.

Rainbow 6 Patriots releases for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime in 2013.

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