Ongoing service games have to go through a near-constant process of balance updates, bug fixes, and more, particular as new content is incorporated. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recently removed replacement AI in a controversial patch seemingly meant to mitigate abuse of the previous bot replacement system, and this weekend Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege similarly made a big change to how PC players can join matchmaking lobbies.
Since it released in 2015, the team-based first-person shooter has been made available on multiple platforms, including PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Rainbow Six Siege released on the PS5 and Xbox Series X last December following the next-gen consoles' launches. However, PC players in particular have apparently experienced issues in which other users can use exploits to "force themselves into squads with other players," according to the Rainbow Six Siege Twitter account.
The fix for this concern came on January 8, 2021, when the game's Twitter account announced that a hotfix went live requiring PC players to have at least one registered friend in a squad before they can join. Rainbow Six Siege also clarified that this friend could be the host or another member of the squad in order to qualify. There is currently no way to kick players from one's squad, according to EuroGamer, which has been criticized by fans in the comments under the hotfix announcement Twitter thread.
Hackers are not an uncommon concern when it comes to popular multiplayer games, particularly in the first-person shooter genre. Activision has struggled to clamp down on an ever-evolving hacker scene in its battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone, among other entries in the series. However, similar concerns have also been seen in more casual titles like Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
While Rainbow Six Siege is perhaps not as ubiquitous in the gaming consciousness as Call of Duty, this ongoing title in the Tom Clancy series has received recognition in a number of areas throughout the years. For example, a study conducted by online casino venue Royal Panda found that Rainbow Six Siege players had the highest IQ on average - for whatever that's worth given its small sample size and limited scope.
Fans of the co-op tactical shooter may or may not find their experience hampered by this PC hotfix, but either way there is likely still fun to be had with a squad full of friends. Those players can also expect Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine sometime in the future, though it has not been widely discussed since Ubisoft announced the game in June 2019.
Rainbow Six Siege is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: EuroGamer