Rainbow Six Siege is getting a loot box system next month during the limited-time Outbreak event. Only cosmetic items will be available in these loot boxes, but with all the criticism surrounding microtransactions right now, it is to be expected that some players are not happy about this announcement.

Brand director Alexandre Remy has spoken up, understanding and addressing players' concerns but saying that Ubisoft is not "cheating anyone" or acting greedily with the upcoming loot box system. He explained that items available in the loot boxes would not affect gameplay whatsoever, similar to the loot box system seen in Blizzard's Overwatch.

"I feel like the loot boxes act like the gift shop after the rollercoaster," Remy said in an interview with MCV. "I am feeling very empathetic towards players upset with this, but at the same time I do not feel we are cheating anyone, I don't think we are being greedy whatsoever."

With loot boxes coming during Rainbow Six Siege's Outbreak event, players can take comfort in the fact that the contents of these boxes will be purely cosmetic, so as to keep gameplay as fair as possible. Remy promises the team "will never have something affecting gameplay" in a random drop. He also said players won't receive duplicate items in the loot boxes, which should maximize the variety of items players can attain during the event.

The good news for Rainbow Six Siege is that, according to data-led discussion forum Qutee, a majority (69 percent) of gamers feel positive about cosmetic microtransactions. Gamers have expressed concern when these microtransactions create a pay-to-win environment within the game, allowing some players to gain an advantage over others who are unwilling or unable to spend the extra money. It is important to note, however, that Qutee's data only addressed the general idea of microtransactions, not loot boxes specifically.

While loot boxes may be new for Rainbow Six Siege, the game has had cosmetic items for sale for real money for some time now. A key difference with a loot box, however, is that the player is paying for just a chance to get the item they want, rather than simply buying it.

Loot boxes will come to Rainbow Six Siege on March 6 and will only be available during the Outbreak event, which ends April 3.

Source: MCV