Rainbow Six Siege has been a significant success for Ubisoft over nearly a decade. As the game approaches its 10th anniversary, Ubisoft is under pressure to sustain its revenue from the game, similar to other publishers with their live services. However, the company must also consider community sentiment and the strong opinions of its core players regarding current and future monetisation strategies.
With the upcoming Year 9 Season 2, several changes have been announced, including a “complete remaster” of the Recruit, the game’s original operator, giving them a fresh look. Additionally, there will be new attacker and defender archetypes that allow two different gadgets to be chosen based on the selected role, along with nerfs for Solis and Fenrir. This season, named Operation New Blood, also introduced the controversial R6 Membership.
The introduction of the R6 Membership has sparked dissatisfaction among players. Priced at $15 AUD per month or $120 annually, “Active Membership holders will enjoy monthly drops of exclusive content, including time-limited gear, animated Legendary skins, 10x Battle level skips, a Bravo Pack, and access to the Premium Battle Pass.” These monthly drops will feature “a time-limited Legendary item and an Epic operator bundle,” and monthly cosmetic “Bravo packs” with full access to the Premium Battle Pass and 10 level skips.
Unsurprisingly, fans reacted negatively to this news. During the BLAST R6 Major Manchester 2024 event, the announcement was met with boos from the audience. While premium memberships are common in live service games, the R6 Membership has been unfavourably compared to those of other games in terms of value. Many are pointing out that the Fortnite Crew subscription, despite being a free-to-play game, offers better value, whereas Rainbow Six Siege is not free-to-play.
About the Author
Khushaal Singh
he/him
You can find Khush at your local hardcore gig, writing crappy short stories, or scouring the internet for an obscure indie game to set his teeth into. If not, he will probably be setting himself up for osteoarthritis, by trying to set a new PB in his rhythm game of choice for the month.
