Image via Ubisoft
Rainbow Six Mobile is the latest game from the Ubisoft Montreal studio that made Rainbow Six Siege. And while different in some areas, is effectively the same game.
It uses two maps from Siege, Border and Bank. All of the operators are the same, but their gadgets will be tweaked a bit for mobile. For all intents and purposes, this game will be Rainbow Six Siege with some minor changes.
One of the most important advancements in Siege’s longevity is the evolution of the esports scene from a passion project to a steady niche, bordering on a true top-tier esport. It stands to reason that Mobile will have an esports scene too, simply based on the rapid rise of mobile esports and the already-existing framework for a functioning esports scene.
R6 Siege has yet to tap into the mobile esports scene
Mobile esports are on the rise all across the board, and it only makes sense for Rainbow Six Mobile to follow suit. CoD Mobile has a two million dollar plus prize pool with community involvement for its version of CoD Champs. Brawl Stars and Hearthstone are huge mobile games in their own right. Mobile Legends Bang Bang has over 75 million active players. Garena Free Fire needs no introduction to industry followers — in 2019 its world championship averaged over 1.2 million viewers. PUBG Mobile has a $5 million dollar prize pool.
So where does Rainbow Six Siege fit in?
It would be so easy for Ubisoft to jump in and just create an esports league for Rainbow Six Mobile using the Global Circuit format. The interest will be there for the game — there are few tactical shooters on the mobile market and most are battle royales or arena shooters. There’s a chance to really gain a foothold for the core Siege gameplay that many know and love.
It won’t hurt the core Siege viewership, either. In fact, it’ll help it.
Mobile is a very stripped-down version of Siege — there isn’t the wide variety of maps and operators that Siege enjoys, yet. Accessibility is the future of gaming. Getting base Siege gameplay in front of more eyes is going to be a net benefit for Siege itself, not just the Mobile version.
The type of person that is attracted to Siege-style gameplay will always look for the more complex option — the one with more variables and more tactical gameplay.
Rainbow Six Siege will be more complex than R6 Mobile
For now, the game that is more complex is Siege, not Mobile.
Getting more players past the knowledge barrier for Siege viewing will juice the numbers and interest in Siege itself. A free-to-play smartphone game available on every mobile device with the base Siege gameplay is going to supercharge interest in Siege from players who would’ve never otherwise touched the game.
Mobile should absolutely have esports — it will be great for Ubisoft and great for Siege in the process. It’s very literally a win-win situation. Siege is still in a niche spot, and the core gameplay becoming more accessible is perfect for the future.