Ubisoft has just made some major announcements for its third year of Rainbow Six Siege content, confirming one rumor that many gamers had regarded as being too far-fetched. During the Pro League livestream today, studio officials have now confirmed a brand new in-game co-op event called Mission Outbreak. The event will last at least a week, and from its initial description, the upcoming Rainbow Six Siege event sounds an awful lot like Call of Duty's zombie mode.

The event will take place in Season One of the just-announced Year 3 content, which introduces two new biohazard specialist operators in Operation Chimera. Instead of getting a new map that ties in with the operators, Ubisoft is diverting from its traditional content schedule and adding a 3-player co-op event called Mission Outbreak. The studio officials remained mum on further details but implied that the biohazard specialists had a large role to play in the PVE event - and given that it takes place during something called Operation Chimera, we expect some suitably monster-ish enemies to feature.

Ubisoft had thought about adding new game modes in the past but struck these ideas down in favor of focusing on its brand of 5-on-5 multiplayer combat. None of the game's post-launch content has ever toyed with this formula, so a 3 player co-operative experience against some kind of biohazardous enemies is quite a change of pace. The event is only slated to run at least a week, but should it prove popular, there's no telling if it will come back as a more permanent fixture.

Players who delve into Mission Outbreak will be able to unlock exclusive collectibles for doing so, which will reportedly fit in with the setting of the in-game event. This means gamers who miss out on Mission Outbreak during its week-long run simply won't be able to utilize whatever uniforms, headgear, charms, or weapon skins become unlocked for those who participate. This is a structure that has used by the studio via its Ubisoft Club challenges, which keep players coming back to unlock exclusive charms and in-game currency.

Ubisoft will reveal more about Operation Chimera and Mission Outbreak during the Six Invitational, an eSports competition that got off its feet earlier this year. The second iteration of the tournament is due to take place in Montreal from February 13-18 in 2018, with more information about the supposed zombie mode likely to drop near the finals of the invitational.

Rainbow Six Siege is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.