Video gaming was never about creating multi-million tournaments, at least not in the minds of developers.
Then esports happened – starting small, the phenomenon of esports has spread to all corners of the planet, and today, it’s the modus operandi for many games out there. You may not necessarily participate in esports, but a game, it seems, is more likely to be thriving if publishers and developers allocate some resources to turn it competitive.
For Rainbow, the esports card was what saved the game. Rainbow Six Siege is one of Ubisoft’s most successful franchises. Yet the game was flagging until 2018. Then Ubisoft decided to step up their game. No, the developer didn’t issue some special promotions, but if you were interested in some anyway, we would advise you to review these special casino bonus with no deposit offers.
What Ubisoft did was actually much smarter, but it still required the unquestionable commitment of the company. The company laid a detailed roadmap for turning Ubisoft from a casual first-person shooter into a highly competitive title that can be played in a tournament format, with the annual finals fetching $1 million to the best teams in the world.
Rainbow Siege Road Back to the Top: From 2015 to 2018
When Rainbow Six Siege arrived, it wasn’t advertised as a competitive game despite the many similarities it had with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a game that clearly defines esports in today’s world. Yet, Rainbow quickly mustered a strong following, and even though players were coming and going, Ubisoft saw potential.
This initial period of transition to 2018 was one that was rather fraught for the company, as the developer was focusing on improving the gameplay, troubleshooting issues, and clearing up the game from bugs. It wasn’t an easy process, but it was one that proved highly rewarding as the game saw positive responses from its community.
Then Ubisoft had to ask themselves –do we want Rainbow Six Siege to continue growing, or do we want to shelve it and gradually discontinue support? Many games have faced a similar fate, but Ubisoft is not one to give up from an original IP.
That is why in 2018, the big news arrived, and the developer confirmed that it would be launching the Rainbow Six Siege Invitational, a massive global competitive event that featured $1 million in prize money and would drastically shape the fortunes of the game and its fans.
Ubisoft Pulls in Its Weight to Turn Rainbow into an Esports
The change was not just a change in perception of how Ubisoft decided to treat its game moving forward. It was far more profound, and it was tied to the smart use of the available resources. The company immediately decided to muster more resources and doubled the game’s team, bringing 40 to 50 esports people to help out.
But just pouring more resources into the game didn’t prove much. A far more important test for the game would be how fans would react to the first competitive event. With a big prize pool on the line, just throwing money at the game would be enough.
So, Ubisoft’s team got cracking, and by the end of 2018 SI, fans were all unanimous – the company has done a brilliant job of producing some of the most compelling series in Rainbow Six Siege history. Ubisoft quickly won back fans and attracted new generations of players.
But more importantly, it gave Rainbow Six Siege a new lease of life and made it a viable competitive title in today’s gaming world.
Image via: Ubisoft