It's almost hard to believe, but it's been years since Rainbow Six Siege last received an entirely new map. Breaking this trend as part of Operation Demon Veil, the new Emerald Plains level features a classic European castle set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland, which has a complex layout with plenty of nooks and crannies for operatives to attack and/or defend from.

The thing about Rainbow Six Siege's latest map is, though, that it wasn't always supposed to be an all-new level. The recent Ubisoft Q&A discussion held on the game's most prominent subreddit revealed that Emerald Plains was originally planned as a complete rework of the infamous Bartlett University level, only for it to eventually grow beyond its initial scope and receive an identity all of its own.

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Prominently featured as part of Demon Veil update, Emerald Plains came out in mid-April and it did not take long for players to notice various similarities with the old Bartlett University level. One Redditor ended up asking Ubisoft's developers if this was deliberate as part of the Q&A, only for them to confirm that it was: "Emerald Plains DID begin its life as a Bartlett rework," they said. Apparently, the production process ended up leading the developers away from their initial idea, and they decided to lean into a new theme instead of adapting the old university stage.

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Developers admitted that the various hints at the map's origins were left in deliberately, but that the focus was on delivering a fresh and exciting gameplay experience that didn't have the same faults that Bartlett suffered from back in the day. Overall, the gambit seems to have paid off, with Emerald Plains heralded as a great learning experience for players both new and old. Both players and developers are generally happy with the end result, as it's a well-balanced and straightforward level without unnecessary complexities.

Of course, Rainbow Six Siege has had many map reworks over the past couple of years, and while the release of Emerald Plains is a welcome change of pace for the community, its initial concept does mean that Bartlett University missed out on getting a proper rework. Whether Ubisoft ever decides to revisit the level in the future is anyone's guess at this point, but it's not a major loss, as it was one of the less popular levels in general.

Rainbow Six Siege entered Year 7 of its activity in 2022. So far, Ubisoft seems to be ticking most boxes with the community, and the general perception of the game is reasonably positive. With more game modes, operatives, and potentially even maps and map reworks slated for the remainder of the year, it's an exciting time for fans of the game.

Rainbow Six Siege is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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