Rainbow Six Siege X, also referred to as Siege X, is the most recent evolution of Tom Clancy’s fashionable fight franchise. It’s a traditional title the place a workforce of operators tries to interrupt right into a home or different construction and take out a defending workforce and carry out a mission, like rescuing a hostage.
It launched on June 10, 2025, together with Operation Dawn and features a free-to-play model, modernized maps, new destructible components, and the brand new Twin Entrance recreation mode.
Siege X additionally introduces a brand new choose and ban system for ranked matches and an audio overhaul. The most recent replace is the most important the corporate has ever finished, and I spoke with Alex Karpazis, inventive director at Ubisoft Montreal for Rainbow Six Siege on the current Summer season Sport Fest in Los Angeles.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege got here out in 2015, and the esports tournaments began in 2017. Now it’s one of many extra sustainable esports competitions amongst video games on this planet, and it’s a part of the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Each new season comes alongside each three months, with new operators, devices, maps and options. There are actually greater than 70 operators within the recreation.
Siege X additionally brings a brand-new 6v6 mode, gameplay adjustments that deepen its tactical core, a visible overhaul of traditional maps and extra. The purpose is to create extra pleasure across the recreation and appeal to extra new followers, whereas on the identical time retaining the hardcore gamers happy. That’s all the time a tricky balancing act to stroll. Karpazis stated this model has an improved onboarding course of, and he famous that 6v6 takes off a number of the strain on every workforce member within the 5v5 matches.
The most recent maps now even have destructible substances. All through the map there are hearth extinguishers, fuel pipes, metallic detectors and extra to disrupt enemy plans. Most of the new units and methods for breaching will reward the groups that assault with moment-to-moment technique in thoughts, Karpazis stated.
Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: Are you able to deliver me in control on Rainbow Six?
Alex Karpazis: We name it Siege X, but it surely does characterize the tenth 12 months of Siege being dwell and rising. [We have gone] dwell with an enormous replace, the most important replace we’ve ever finished, with a brand new recreation mode, new adjustments. The sport goes into what we name free entry. Anyone can obtain it and play with their buddies. That’s one thing we’re actually enthusiastic about.
GamesBeat: What led to a number of the choices round this?
Karpazis: The large factor–first, we needed to guarantee that all of our group may nonetheless benefit from the recreation, which is why we determined to do a large evolution that solutions quite a lot of what they’ve been asking for. Adjustments to motion, adjustments to the audio system, which we utterly revamped to make it extra pure and way more correct. We additionally needed to guarantee that despite the fact that the sport is insanely powerful – it’s a difficult recreation – new gamers can test it out and obtain it free of charge with their buddies. We’ve revamped the onboarding expertise to allow them to see what makes Siege so satisfying.
On prime of that we made a model new recreation mode. Each veterans and new gamers can take pleasure in it collectively. They’re each on a stage enjoying subject, as a result of it’s all new. We’ve made large, large adjustments. You’ll be able to play in opposition to bots now till you’re prepared. You understand the maps. You are feeling assured you may leap on-line with different gamers. We have now the brand new 6v6 recreation mode. It relieves a number of the stress of being in a 5v5 state of affairs. It mixes attackers and defenders collectively, and it’s a smaller pool of operators. You don’t need to be taught all 70-plus characters to play the sport mode. Numerous adjustments so you may leap in and perhaps get a bit extra assured extra shortly.
GamesBeat: What have been some observations that led to this? Whenever you watch the perfect gamers in an esports setting, what do you be taught from them that perhaps seems to be one thing you wish to change within the recreation?
Karpazis: A [few] weeks in the past we had our first esports match in Brazil on the brand new Siege X construct. It was unbelievable to see. These are professionals pushing it to its limits. Some of the thrilling new issues we’ve launched–we name them destructible substances. All through the map there are hearth extinguishers, fuel pipes, metallic detectors. Now, as a substitute of simply having a personality the place that you must use their gadget as a bit of the technique, it’s extra in regards to the atmosphere. Seeing the professionals use that–after they’re operating round, perhaps they wish to lower off a rotation or cowl their flank. They’ll pop a fuel pipe and it detonates and explodes all over the place. It’s so satisfying to see that stage of technique come alive with the professionals enjoying.
GamesBeat: Players in Brazil all the time appear tremendous enthusiastic. Is {that a} large marketplace for you?
Karpazis: It undoubtedly is. Primarily as a result of we actually do see the fervour of the Brazilian group. They all the time present up on the massive stage. A Brazilian workforce gained the match there, and so they’re fairly dominant, really, in our esports scene.
GamesBeat: How a lot of the typical participant’s recreation is peeking round a nook and getting shot between the eyes?
Karpazis: [laughs] What we delight ourselves on a lot is the tactical gameplay. You see it via all the degrees. However really, you see it probably the most with prime gamers. They work as a workforce. They’ve methods. It’s not about run and gun, ready for somebody to dip from behind a nook. That’s what makes Siege so particular. Once more, with Siege X we simply wish to heighten all of that second to second technique. Ensuring it’s all viable. We’re additionally going again to outdated characters, ensuring that their devices are enjoyable. We reworked an operator referred to as Conflict. All of that is to guarantee that techniques and technique is king within the recreation. We’re not simply rewarding run and gun. I feel that’s why we nonetheless stand a lot in opposition to different video games.
GamesBeat: How does the sport have this endurance? Why has it lasted so lengthy?
Karpazis: We wish to suppose, initially, that we hearken to the group. We wish to make certain we reply their wants and hold issues contemporary for them. However actually, Siege is such an unique thought. No one else has ever tried to repeat it. It has such strategic depth that you would be able to spend hundreds of hours – and a few gamers do – simply studying and rising and mastering the sport. The talent ceiling is so excessive. It’s so satisfying to go on that studying journey, ranging from the underside, studying every operator, studying every map. Gamers actually take pleasure in that have. They know that they will get invested in it when it’s been out for 10 years and we’re promising one other 10 years with Siege X.
GamesBeat: Did you ever take into consideration doing a brand new recreation as a substitute of the massive replace?
Karpazis: Actually, after we began excited about this, it was one of many first issues we checked out. Additionally, it was one of many first issues we dismissed. Gamers make investments a whole bunch of hours in our recreation. They make investments some huge cash as nicely. We wish to respect that. We don’t wish to throw it away with a sequel that might do away with all their time, cosmetics, skins. We needed all the things to stick with them. We wish to honor that sooner or later as nicely, so that everybody is aware of that there’s a future after they come to Siege.
GamesBeat: Have you ever ever had a second the place you introduced one thing traditional again? There’s a lot historical past to a few of these video games now, like World of Warcraft with Basic. Warzone simply introduced again their unique map.
Karpazis: It’s attention-grabbing you deliver that up. Our precise tenth anniversary is in December. We plan to have an in-game occasion that can honor a few of that historical past, a number of the components that gamers affiliate with the sport via the years, the various years. That’s one thing we’re going to have a good time for the tenth anniversary of Siege.
GamesBeat: Generally it’s additionally a blended factor. There are typically adverse reactions to large adjustments. How do you consider how your adjustments are going over?
Karpazis: We’ve really been testing the entire Siege X adjustments over the previous two years with the group, behind the scenes. Getting their suggestions and making tweaks. We have to keep on with our id as a tactical PvP shooter. That’s what we’re good at. We don’t wish to stray away from that. Each single change we did, we made certain that the group was concerned and was testing it. We have been getting that suggestions. We additionally included the professionals. We don’t wish to break this recreation. We wish to guarantee that it thrives.
GamesBeat: The place have you ever had your greatest esports occasion? Was it the Brazilian one, or have there been others?
Karpazis: Simply over a 12 months in the past we have been in Brazil. The stadium was at max capability, 10,000 folks. Largest crowd we’ve ever had, and doubtless one of the vital thrilling finals we’ve ever had. Two twin brothers really confronted off in opposition to one another within the finals. It was insane. We didn’t script it. It was implausible, and we noticed an enormous turnout.
GamesBeat: Are you a part of the Esports World Cup?
Karpazis: We’re, sure, however we even have our personal type of seasonal league that goes on. The Esports World Cup is its personal competitors that doesn’t funnel into the league standings on the finish of the 12 months. It takes quite a bit out of the groups that take part, however I feel we have now one of many healthiest esports ecosystems. Our groups benefit from the competitors. They get the remaining that they want, too, to verify they will proceed within the league format. I feel they’ve actually appreciated that.
GamesBeat: Do you discover some distinction between the varieties of groups who play in Rainbow Six versus different video games?
Karpazis: Talking for our esports scene, we’ve acquired superb suggestions from the groups. They are saying it’s one of the vital sustainable and robust esports scenes. They know that in the event that they get invested, they are going to be rewarded. We have now a partnership program referred to as R6 Share. We accomplice with them and guarantee that they will create skins so as to add into the sport. There’s a income share for them there. It’s sustainably constructed. Due to that, we have now nice partnerships and nice suggestions. SSG has been singing our praises. It’s been nice to see.
GamesBeat: The place do you see the esports groups and stars coming from?
Karpazis: For us, it all the time begins within the recreation. We have now a challenger league, which helps discover new expertise, basically. It feeds into the highest tier league. We have now our ranked competitions. We launched Siege Cup, which is an in-game match that anyone at dwelling can join to play with a full 5 stack and have enjoyable.
Due to how a lot we consider within the esports scene, for Siege X we’re introducing the esports tab, which lets folks comply with tournaments and perceive what the esports scene is all about. It hyperlinks every time there’s a dwell match occurring. Ensuring there’s sufficient visibility in all of our esports ecosystem to verify anybody who’s a scorching new expertise can get scouted by the professional groups and picked up. That’s vital for us. The grassroots means a lot to the sustainability of our esports scene.
GamesBeat: Do you might have exterior manufacturers taking an curiosity in supporting tournaments?
Karpazis: We have now sponsorships. Once more, some nice partnerships. The final Reload occasion we partnered with Xbox Sport Cross. They have been actually supportive. It was quite a lot of enjoyable to see that type of help at an enormous occasion like that.
GamesBeat: There was quite a lot of speak for some time in regards to the esports winter. Did you see a pattern like that after which a restoration? Do you are feeling like we’re previous that?
Karpazis: Actually, our scene has been going fairly robust ever for the reason that inception of our league. Once more, due to the partnership we have now, this shared sustainability, ensuring that they’ve a rev share inside our recreation–which means we will maintain that for lengthy intervals of time. Our prize swimming pools have all the time been tremendous wholesome and tremendous aggressive. That’s what orgs wish to see. They wish to see dedication. It’s a balancing act for us between ensuring the sport itself is all the time thriving, however the esports scene as nicely. We have now that dedication.
It’s a implausible showcase for the sport. Should you watch it on-line, not solely is it entertaining for folks to look at, however in addition they be taught quite a bit. Our gamers normally undertake the methods of professionals, what they see within the esports scene, about six months after the professionals present the way it’s finished. It’s virtually an academic device. It’s invaluable for us. Individuals can get that rather more invested and be taught that rather more in regards to the depth of Siege.
