Ubisoft, at the Six Invitational 2020, revealed an update of their esports program for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege for this year 2020, and years to come. Following the next Rainbow Six Pro League Finals that will conclude Season XI on May 16-17, the Rainbow Six esports scene will evolve towards a regionalized program.
Each of the 4 existing regions – Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific – will decide on the specifics of their regional program, whether it is their partners, their formats or the way the regional program fuels the global program. Doing so should make each project more personal to the region, which should help draw in more support from local companies. It will allow for a stronger focus on local specificities and an increased diversity in the different choices of programs Ubisoft offers. All of this will feed into one exciting global race towards qualification for the Six Invitational, the pinnacle of the Rainbow Six competitive year.
The program changes will result in:
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- 4 regional programs running in parallel during the year. A competitive year of Rainbow Six esports, known as a “Season”, will be divided into 4 quarters. The first 3 quarters will be known as “Stages”, each concluding with a Major, where the 4 best teams from each region at the end of a given stage, will gather to compete. The 4th quarter will be dedicated to regional finals and relegations, leading towards the Six Invitational that will crown the world’s best team at the end of the Season.
- Teams involved in the regional programs will be ranked based on a new and in-depth point system that rewards sustained performance.
- Performance in the regional programs and Majors will impact the global rankings and the teams’ journey towards the Six Invitational.
Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region will include two divisions, North, and South. In the North Division, is Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. They will come together to form a single, highly competitive, online league gathering 12 teams. In parallel, the South Division will provide exciting new opportunities to the Oceania region along with up-and-coming regions such as South Asia. Ubisoft will commission ESL to handle the Asia-Pacific programs and events.
Europe
The European League will expand to ten teams and build upon what was created over the past years. The European national programs will receive greater significance and will feed into the global program, thus forging a multi-tiered esports scene, allowing players from all levels and horizons to compete. FaceIt and LiveNation will be Ubisoft’s co-production partners for the European League and events.
Latin America
Latin America will grow from eight to ten teams in Brazil and move to an offline structure in Mexico while expanding into South America (Argentina, Peru, Chile, Uruguay). Latin America will now support three divisions (Brazil, Mexico and South America) with the intent of continuing to evolve into global competitors. The Latin American program will be owned and operated by Ubisoft and its contracted vendors in the region.
North America
North America will level up the production and tournament operations across the board while continuing to champion players and community. Next year will see the introduction of the US Division, a new program with premier production and play dates. For the first time, Canada will have a place within the global competition stage with the Canada Division.
The Six Invitational 2020 also revealed the regions that will host the Majors for 2020, and 2021:
2020
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- May 16-17, Pro League Finals Season XI: São Paulo, Brazil
- August Major: North America
- November Major: Europe
2021
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- February, Six Invitational 2021: Canada
- May Major: Europe
- August Major: North America
- November Major: Asia-Pacific
More details on the revamped Rainbow Six esports program and each of the four regional programs are available here.
If you would like to learn more about Rainbow Six Siege’s esports scene you can check out the official website and/or follow them on Twitter and Instagram
If you want to know more about Ubisoft, and their other events you can check out the official Facebook Page, and Youtube Channel.