Rainbow Six Patriots Next Gen

At this point in the development cycle, and after hearing that Ubisoft might be shifting gears on the project, we're not sure what to make of Rainbox Six: Patriots going forward. The sequel burst onto the scene with a controversial teaser trailer during the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, but after that the development team went dark.

Up until the reveal of that trailer Ubisoft had been making claims about the title's revolutionary FPS storytelling, but then they took a step back to re-evalutate. It's unclear whether that new direction, which featured some pretty gritty, yet realistic iconography, has changed, but we do know that the project has not yet been canned.

In fact, according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, the project is still alive, but it may not be coming any time soon. When asked point blank by Polygon about Rainbow Six: Patriots, Guillemot's response was this:

"The only thing I can say is that we have a good team working on it, and it's really looking good. So when it will come, it will surprise the industry."

This response, of course, drew questions of whether or not Rainbox: Six Patriots is now being positioned as a next-gen title, set for release on the Xbox 720 and PS4. While many developers, when posed that very same question, have been quite cagey, Guillemot was surprisingly candid, saying "there's a good chance it [could] be."

Rainbow Six Patriots New Creative Director

Guillemot's (presumed) confirmation of next-gen for Rainbow Six: Patriots also came with a more detailed explanation of the development team's decision to infuse the sequel with a heavier focus on morality and to pepper in some tough decisions throughout the campaign. Focusing on a terrorist group working throughout New York City provides its own gritty context, but that's only the first layer.

"You have to make decisions and that implies lots of ethical choices. In the decisions you make, we have to define where you can go, and there were lots of discussions on what's possible, what should be possible, what shouldn't be possible. But that's what is interesting with the concept - being able to give a choice to the person who is playing."

At the very least, Rainbow Six fans should find comfort in Guillemot's claim that the game is not dead. While the game's teaser trailer caught our interest, it also was met with some fair criticism over its graphic content. That is the nature of Patriots' concept, but whether or not that will work as a cohesive game is another thing altogether.

Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing more from Rainbow Six: Patriots — potentially at E3 2013 — and receiving another peek at what the next-gen will hold for video games.

Are you happy to hear that Rainbow Six: Patriots is still in development? How would you like to see the franchise adapted to the next-gen?

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Source: Polygon