WithRainbow Six Siegecurrently boasting over 25 million players across three formats, the squad-based shooter is preparing to deliver a third year of content. Not bad for a game whosesuspiciously inaccurateE3 introduction saw it become a bit of a punching bag for gamers worldwide.Siegehas since come back from those controversies to become not only a hugely popular online game, but also one of the most finely-tuned shooters of all time.
At the recent Six Invitational tournament in Montreal, I had the opportunity to sit down withSiege‘s Director, Leroy Athanassoff, to discuss the current state of play, the origins of theupcomingOutbreakevent, and the surprising obsession the community has with the game’s roster of straight-laced heroes and anti-heroes.
Leroy spoke with me in a room full of milling journos and PR types, many vying for his time. Despite this, he was very accommodating and very happy, clearly energised by the crowd, the event and his own pride in the game. Asked how he’s holding up, Leroy said “I’m so pumped because of the people, because of the energy. Ireallylove our game, so we love spending time with you guys.”
I opened by asking Leroy what he thought of the state ofSiegeright now. He was very confident that the scene has never been better. “Today we are at the Six Invitational,” Leroy began in a warm, French accent. “I think we are at our highest peak, we have never been in such good shape. Now, we have the opportunity to deliver more content, with better quality. That’s super-exciting and we can’t wait to see this year (play out).”
I told Leroy that I had only been playingSiegefor a few months, and although I was finding the game tough, I was pretty hooked. I said that the game was stealing hours away from the only other team-shooter I play, Blizzard’sOverwatch, and that the two games were locked in a battle for my spare time.
“The good thing withSiege, is that it’s not a jealous game,” smiled Leroy. “You can play other games, but when you come back,Siegewill always be there for you. That is part of the secret to its success. It is a game you can rely on. You can leave, come back in three months and it will be even better. So, it’s okay, you can play other games. At some point you will come back, we will be super-happy to have you back.”
On the topic of difficulty, I asked about whether the team were concerned that a game as tough asSiege, with its unforgiving gameplay, is locking out as many players as it attracts. Leroy said that this was a concern, one they continued to focus on going forward, but that it wasvitallyimportant that the gameplay remained as it is. Leroy stated that it was important to the team thatSiegekeeps its focus, and that they hold that aspect in higher regard to attracting new players.
I questioned whether the higher-ups at Ubisoft would agree with him, and whether the publisher pushes the team to make the game “easier.” Leroy was quite candid about this. “Siegewas clearly standing out from the usual Ubisoft game. We had to fight, exactly like you say. Ubi said ‘You should try with respawn option to see how it plays.’ We could respawn, but it doesn’t play the same. Being sharp, being focused, y’know? One shot can kill you. As soon as you have another chance, you’re not approaching the situation the same way. If you have respawn, then you run into the room, ‘Meh, I died’. To really build the core of this game, we had to fight, even internally.”
One of my favourite aspects of the game is the roster of Operators. In particular, I’m fascinated by how fans have taken these relatively blank slates and developed cult fandoms around them. I made the comparison to Leroy withOverwatch, where fans have gotten behind the colourful, loud, happy-go-lucky roster of eccentric looking characters. Then asked howSiegehas managed to pull in the same sort of community love with its dour, scowling military technicians They’re all dressed down in black fatigues, many of whom have their faces hidden entirely.
“To us, that isreallyone of the insane surprises that we had,” replied Leroy. “I don’t know if you played previousRainbowgames. Can you name one of the characters?”
“Only one,” I said. “Ding Chavez!” pulling some long forgotten name out of my youth.
“Ding Chavez! Aside of him, there are no names that stand out. WithSiege, we’ve managed to create a deep universe with strong character and we were super-surprised how the community took those personalities, and now (the game is) all about the Operators. As soon as you make unique operators, unique abilities, unique gameplay, you connect them to your playstyle. It’s no longer a game about weapons, it’s a game about characters and abilities.”
I referenced the huge amount of fan-art, fan fiction, cosplay, and head canon theSiegecommunity have created for the game, citing a wonderful fan-art gallery which was adorning the walls of the venue.
“The amount of content that was provided by the community, they make videos, they make pictures, we were like [gasps],” continued Leroy. “Outbreakallows us the opportunity to give them back a bit of this love, because we’re unfolding the story of some of the Operators, which in turn lets the fans create new videos, new pictures. We will be super-delighted to see that. Yes, it’s insane. Really insane.”
Given the fan’s interest in the universe, I asked about the possibility forSiegeto transition to another media, such as a TV series, or a comic book. Leroy commented that, to his knowledge, there were no such plans currently, but that he believed they had the material to potentially adaptSiegein other forms in the future.
Asked who his personal favourite Operator is, Leroy beamed and proudly opened his jacket to reveal a shirt of everyone’s favourite window-maker, Mira. “So clearly to me, it’s Mira. What I love with Mira is she’s very accessible. But she has a lot of technique. In the hands of good players, scenes that seem undefendable become defendable,because ofMira. Maps that were not super great, become great,because ofMira. Mira is quite accessible to new players, but she has a lot of depth in where you choose to deploy her ability. To me, she’s one of the best Operators we’veeverreleased.”
On the topic ofupcoming event,Outbreak, I was keen to hear how the idea for putting monsters and aliens in a shooter such asSiegecame about, and whether there had been plans for this type of mode all along. Leroy explained that the root ofOutbreaklies in a (very) early abandoned concept that would see a mission take place in Area 51. There was an initial idea to have a scenario where Rainbow are sent out to the mythological site after communications break down. Although Leroy had no further info on whether aliens were to be encountered, the heart ofOutbreaklies in this abandoned “Area 51” concept.
Outbreak’sthemes are completely left-field of the main game’s focus on counter-terrorism, stealth tactics, and realism. I put to Leroy that some fans may feel a zombie-shooting mode is a step too far from theSiegeuniverse that they’re acquainted with, and whether that was a concern for the team.
“As we spoke (about) earlier, we are in a very interesting place right now with our Operators. What is really unique about this game is not the ‘counter-terrorism’ aspect of it, itisthe Operators. What is interesting is (for example) Ash. What is important for the players who’re excited about Outbreak is to learn more about Ash, or Tachanka, or Doc. So now, we have an opportunity to do, y’know, Ash at the beach? Ash with aliens? Ash with zombies? It’s more like comics. ForSpider-Man, there is originalSpider-Man, there isSpider-Manof the future. What matters is the Operator, not so much the context. I love the idea of going where we were never allowed to go before.”
“So, you feel you have introduced this roster of characters,” I replied, “and you may now take them out of their own timeline, or context, and place them into any number of situations. Then, where do we go from here?Siege in Space?”
“Totally!” Leroy laughed. “Siegein the past? You see we did the Elite costumes that refer to WWI and WWII? We could even go to the very beginning of Rainbow. Whatwasthe very first Rainbow mission? We are totally free. From here, we can go [throws up hands] anywhere!”
“And, if you go back to the very beginning,” I offered. “You can bring back Ding Chavez!”
Leroy laughed. “Exactly! Maybe wewillhave Ding Chavez. That would be cool!”
Rainbow Six Siegeis available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC. TheOutbreakevent begins March 6.
[Travel to this event was provided by Ubisoft.]
