Ubisoft disappointed Rainbow Six fans with a new “R6 subscription”

This weekend, during the BLAST R6 Manchester Major, Ubisoft revealed the roadmap and plans for Y9S2 – Operation New Blood. During this short presentation, the team learned about R6 Membership, a premium paid offering that will reward players with exclusive perks and bonuses in exchange for a recurring monthly payment. I was on site at the Manchester Major and can confirm that the jeers and boos that rippled through the building were indicative of the community’s response to the revelation of R6 membership.

Path to follow

For the most part, the twenty-minute reveal went pretty well. The Ubisoft team developed new Operators – Striker and Sentry – and analyzed balance changes, quality of life improvements and the global release of the peer-to-peer market in Rainbow Six Siege. They talked at length about improvements to player protection systems and anti-cheat mechanics, and revealed more about which Operators are going to be lightly nerfed ahead of Operation New Blood.

When the discussion turned to the members of R6, the crowd began to groan. Although the showcase spoke positively (of course) about joining the R6, the crowd was united in its opposition to the introduction.

For $10 per month (recurring), Rainbow Six Siege players will be able to access a “premium” battle pass, exclusive content, and other unique cosmetic items like animated skins that are only available to members R6. It has also been confirmed that the R6 Membership will include a monthly allocation of R6 Credits, carefully integrated into the player’s in-game account to save or spend as they see fit.

Nothing will make the R6 subscription a paid subscription, but there’s enough meat on the bones to make non-paying fans angry at Ubisoft for locking content behind a paywall. Ultimately, this is how the world is currently evolving: this operational model is replicated in Fortnite, Fallout 76, Call of Duty, and Elder Scrolls Online, to name a few.

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