Collegiate Rainbow 6, called “CR6” for short, is a competitive Rainbow 6 league for students who attend university. CR6 is a relatively new league, however it has gained popularity because it is oriented towards college students. Their first season totaled at 78 teams, playing through a seven-week Swiss bracket, and eventually moving to the playoffs, where it would dwindle down a round of 32 all the way to the grand finals.
CR6 is currently in its second season, and has grown to 91 teams in their Division 1 category with another 40 more teams in their Division 2 category.
First of all, please introduce yourselves.
xpR: Mike “xpR” Pipher is the CEO and Founder of CR6 and a student studying architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Swindle: Liam “Swindle” Koenneker is the COO and Community lead of CR6 and computer science student at the University of Arizona.
What is Collegiate R6?
xpR: CR6 is the premier collegiate Rainbow Six Siege experience. Combining a passionate community with a competitive league, CR6 has become one of the leading programs in the space. With over 140 teams in the second season, we aim to provide the best competitive experience for collegiate players.
What inspired you to create this league?
xpR: As college students, many of us began playing together between studying and going to classes. We quickly began to love Rainbow Six Siege, but found that there were no leagues or communities specifically for students built around the game. We wanted to create that scene. We give collegiate students opportunities to find friends, build connections, and hone their skills through the competitive leagues and community. We hope to partner with Ubisoft in the future to give these talented players not only the chance to elevate their gaming careers, but also allow them to gain relevant experience that could lead into opportunities in the gaming or esports industries.
How does CR6 stand out from other community run leagues, such as CCS?
xpR: CR6 caters specifically to students, and only college students. We require all players to be enrolled full-time at their university and in good academic standing. The majority of our staff, including casters, are also full-time students. Swindle: CR6 Tournament Administration is run by players who understand the game, the meta, and the professional scene and have vast amounts of experience in collegiate esports. We model the collegiate program after the professional scene very closely.
How can players get involved with CR6?
Is there anything you would like to say to the Rainbow 6 esports community?
xpR: The staff at CR6 appreciate the interest and support that many professional players and casters have shown to our program. We hope to grow and expand and create more crossover between the collegiate and professional scene.
Hopefully this league will become a mainstay within the Rainbow 6 competitive community, as collegiate level esports has been a growing area in recent years, and it would be good for the Rainbow Six scene to get some exposure at the collegiate level.