Rainbow Six Siege is preparing for a potential drop in player numbers when Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 launches. However, Ubisoft doesn’t plan to treat the decline as a long-term problem.
Joshua Mills, the game’s new creative director, said the studio expects players across the gaming industry to shift their attention to Rockstar’s upcoming title when it arrives. Instead of reacting to a temporary decline in numbers, Mills said Rainbow Six Siege will focus on giving players who continue reasons to stay. The strategy includes new content around the GTA 6 launch window, along with rewards for players who keep spending time in the game.
In a recent interview with The Game Business, he said, “Our golden rule is to serve the players who stay like kings and queens. We don’t go on vacation just because a competitor is swelling the market. We double down and reward those spending their valuable time with us.”
Expecting temporary shifts in player numbers
Mills, who has worked at Ubisoft for 11 years, became creative director of Rainbow Six Siege earlier this year. When asked whether the studio had contingency plans for GTA 6, which is expected to draw players away from other games at launch, Mills said the focus should be on staying calm when player numbers fall and recognising that the decline is likely temporary.
“We’ve got a massive launch coming with GTA,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter what genre you’re in – you’re going to take a hit when that drops. People are going to play it, and then they’ll come back. Heck, all of us are going to play it. It’s about being smart with your expectations so you can keep the team and HQ aligned. If the team sees player numbers dip, they can get anxious, but it’s generally temporary.”
Season Four content and surprises
Rather than scaling back during GTA 6’s launch period, Mills said Rainbow Six Siege will focus on players who continue playing the game. He said the studio wants to reward those players rather than change its plans because another game is attracting a large audience.
The timing will also coincide with new Rainbow Six Siege content. Mills confirmed that Season Four is scheduled to arrive around the same period as GTA 6’s launch.
“Funnily enough, Season Four will drop right around that time,” he replied. “That shifts up the game in different ways. We actually have some unannounced surprises held back to make a splash.”