Ubisoft Details Co-Op 'Outbreak' Event For 'Rainbow Six Siege'

Ubisoft released details of an upcoming event for Rainbow Six Siege. The “Outbreak” event will bring new co-op PVP levels that pit players against zombie hordes.

The first development in 2018 for Ubisoft’s headlining esports title, Rainbow Six Siege, will be a free, limited-time, four-week special event. Here’s the premise: a space capsule falls on a town in New Mexico, releasing a parasite that turns everyone into zombies. The players’ team of three will face off against five types of melee-focused enemies in three new maps.

Unlike the current game’s “Terrorist Hunt” PVP mode, which can also be played in co-op, Outbreak’s levels will feature larger maps with linear progression. We imagine that this means players will have to clear multiple stages, possibly with enemies arriving in waves or boss fights occuring. Only a limited selection of characters will be available for Outbreak levels because not all are suitable. The two upcoming characters from “Operation Chimera,” the first expansion for the game in 2018, will arrive in time for and be usable in the event. Outbreak takes the place of the new permanent map that usually come with the games quarterly expansions, however.

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The Outbreak event has actually been a topic of controversy for players. Rainbow Six Siege began its third year of continuing development with the announcement that it would be raising prices on most versions of game. Although Rainbow Six Siege is a purchase-once game, it uses microtransactions to fund the games continued development. All versions of the game grant access to all released content, including expansions, but unlocks it at different rates.

The backlash resulted from more than just the price hikes, however, but also from the introduction of Outbreak loot boxes that cannot be acquired in-game. The standard edition of the game, which saw a $20 price increase, offered nothing more for the price increase except for 10 Outbreak loot boxes. Ubisoft later announced that it would be keeping the standard edition of the game at the original price, and adding a new edition of the game that includes the loot boxes.