Although the Rainbow Six franchise has been out of the limelight for a while now, the series is set to make a huge splash in 2015 with Rainbow Six Siege. Built as a multiplayer-focused, tactical experience, Rainbow Six Siege offers players a chance to coordinate as if they are bona fide Rainbow Six members, working against a team of smart AI opponents or other players.
By nature, Rainbow Six Siege is a game that needs a clear focus and a lot of rigorous testing. Ensuring that the online experience is smooth is key to the game’s success, and for developer Ubisoft that is a top priority. It’s likely for that reason that the developer decided not to put a campaign into Rainbow Six Siege.
While most expected Rainbow Six Siege would put the majority of its eggs in the multiplayer basket, this is the first hard confirmation gamers have received regarding a lack of single player campaign. The good news, though, is that solo Rainbow Six players won’t be left in the cold, as the game’s multiplayer modes do offer custom match creation for playing alongside AI teammates.
"You can customize matches, so that's what we're offering on the single-player side of things."
Moreover, any who participate in the custom matches will still unlock the same gear as online players, so they won’t be missing out regardless. Obviously, the true appeal of the game is getting together with friends and trying to thwart the opposition’s Hostage Rescue attempts or trying to secure loot in Terrohunt.
Those intrigued by Rainbow Six Siege’s new modes and online offerings can try out the forthcoming game via its online beta, which went live earlier this week. Granted, the beta is a closed one, and therefore players will need to procure a code for entry, but there seem to be plenty of ways to obtain one. And even if you don’t happen to obtain a code until late, Ubisoft has good news. The developer just extended the Rainbow Six Siege beta until October 1st, likely for additional testing and to build more hype for the game.
That hype will certainly need a little extra oomph, as Ubisoft made the tough, yet disappointing decision to delay Rainbow Six Siege from October to December 1st. Granted, the move does put Rainbow Six Siege in a month with fewer competitors, but it also puts it after some big releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Fallout 4. Moreover, Rainbow Six Siege now will release after Star Wars Battlefront, another multiplayer-focused, highly anticipated title that features no campaign mode.
It will be interesting to see how much crossover there may be between the two games, and whether gamers still give Rainbow Six Siege a chance when it releases. Based on our time with the game thus far, it seems worth checking out later this year.
Rainbow Six Siege releases December 1, 2015 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.