Rainbow Six Siege is going stronger than ever, and really, there’s no indication that that’s going to change any time soon. But Ubisoft is also releasing new game in the series, Rainbow Six Extraction, which is going to run alongside Siege as an alternative live service experience, bringing Siege’s operators and mechanics into a sci-fi PvE co-op game. The question, of course, is whether or not there’s danger of one cannibalizing the other.
According to Rainbow Six Extraction creative director Patrik Méthé, however, that isn’t really a concern. Speaking in an interview with GameSpot, Méthé said that both games are going for very different experiences, so there isn’t really any danger of one of them cannibalizing the other.
“They’re both very different games offering their own challenges and pacing so there’s no worry in that regard, quite the opposite in fact,” he said. “The way [Extraction] is built in its PvE nature–we’re confident that it will appeal to a wide variety of players from both sides.”
Méthé also said that even though both games share mechanical similarities, even if Rainbow Six Siege players are also regularly diving into Extraction side-by-side, the more intense nature of the latter should still provide something new and unique.
“Should Siege players decide to push [Extraction] to its maximum threat level, it will offer a high-octane challenge, on par–and even above–what they’re used to in Siege,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they cope with these advanced challenges.”
Finally, Méthé said that Ubisoft is also expecting Extraction to attract a lot of players who will be new to Rainbow Six games.
“For newcomers to the Rainbow Six universe–Extraction offers an enjoyable tactical co-op experience where they’ll be able to push themselves to the limit and will have to improve their skills and abilities every time they play, to make mission success easier,” he said. “Communication and teamwork will be even more essential for these players.”
We’ll find out soon enough how different Rainbow Six Extraction is from Siege, and more crucially, how good it is, when it launches on September 16 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. Siege, meanwhile, is currently available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and launches for Stadia on July 30.