Is Rainbow Six Siege Dead?

Since 2015, Rainbow Six Siege has been working hard to sit in the highest echelons of the FPS genre. It’s the backbone of what is arguably a flagship franchise for Ubisoft, and it makes up one of the only esports titles that the developer has ever produced. Now, almost seven years after the game was released, we’re looking at the status of the title and assessing where it sits in the gaming ecosystem. Today, we’re here to answer an important question – is Rainbow Six Siege dead?

For some, Rainbow Six Siege is a toxic thorn in the side of the first-person shooter genre. For others, it’s an esports staple, bringing thousands of fans together multiple times a year to tune in to high-octane, exhilarating, and relatively valuable tournaments. It’s time to get to the core of the question and determine whether or not Rainbow Six Siege is dying in 2022.

We’ve taken a look at the multiplayer platform, the state of the community, and the esports scene for Rainbow Six Siege. If you’re asking, ‘is Rainbow Six Siege dead’, then this article is for you.

Is Siege Dying a Slow Death?

If we’re working with sheer player counts, it doesn’t seem like Rainbow Six Siege is dying anytime soon. For instance, we can take one platform, such as Steam, and gather a great understanding of the popularity of Rainbow Six Siege. From there, it’s a simple case of extrapolation, figuring out how the one example applies to all platforms. Like many competitive FPS titles, Rainbow Six Siege regularly goes through an ‘ebb and flow’ pattern.

Put simply, that means it’ll get popular, then calm down, then ramp up again, then drop down again, and so on. Typically, this is due to updates being released, or players getting bored, then becoming re-inspired to play, and so on. For Rainbow Six Siege, the peak points are quite positive, and in March of 2022, on Steam alone, the player count peaked at 108,630. It’s a relatively strong figure, and at all times, the average player count driving Siege forward is considerably high.

SteamCharts.com

As you can see in the graph above, taken from SteamCharts.com, Rainbow Six Siege actually became remarkably popular between March and April of 2022.

While the general player base behind Rainbow Six Siege has remained strong, there has been a decline in terms of popularity when it comes to streaming. According to TwitchTracker.com, aside from a massive peak in February of 2022, the number of users both watching and streaming Rainbow Six Siege has declined relatively sharply. Typically, we’ll see peaks in the viewership when Rainbow Six tournaments are held.

Is Rainbow Six Siege dead? No – at least, not if you’re looking at the player base.

Are Rainbow Six Siege Esports Dying?

We’ve just mentioned Rainbow Six tournaments, and these are of course the events that ultimately popularise the esports ecosystem for Siege. If we’re trying to determine whether or not Rainbow Six Siege is dying, it’s important to look at the more professional, competitive, and organised areas of the platform. Now, while Rainbow Six Siege suffered many delays and postponements within its esports scene, there has been something of a resurgence throughout 2022.

For instance, in May of 2022, the Six Charlotte Major took place, boasting a peak viewership of around 121,500 people. Last year, at the tail end of 2021, the Six Sweden Major was held, pulling in just 100,000 users. If we work with this information, we can already see that there is growth taking place. According to escharts.com, Rainbow Six Siege’s biggest tournament, the Six Invitational, also remains popular.

However, there’s a definite downtrend as time goes on. Here are some figures to show what we’re referring to by that statement:

• Six Invitational 2018 – $500k pool, 316,000 peak viewers.
• Six Invitational 2019 – $2m pool, 315,000 peak viewers.
• Six Invitational 2020 – $3m pool, 303,000 peak viewers.
• Six Invitational 2021 – $3m pool, 306,000 peak viewers.
• Six Invitational 2022 – $3m pool, 272,714 peak viewers.

While it’s a popular tournament and a staple for Rainbow Six betting, it is slowly winding down. Despite the prize pool and the value of the tournament remaining high, the number of viewers tuning in is dropping over time. With that being said, we did mention the resurgence taking place in 2022. There’s still plenty of support from Ubisoft and the various tournament organisers, and there’s a strong desire to keep stoking the flames within the heart of the Six Siege esports ecosystem.

Is Rainbow Six Siege Dying Because of the Community?

Now, we couldn’t possibly ask, ‘is Rainbow Six Siege dead’, and not talk about the community behind the platform.

According to the community at large, Rainbow Six Siege suffers from the same issues that plague any other competitive title. Typically, these issues will include cheaters, player onboarding, toxicity, and skill gaps. However, in the world of Six Siege, toxicity is an expressed concern, especially given the much more intense, competitive nature of the game. It is a well-known fact that R6S is one of the most toxic multiplayer games out there, and there’s very little that can be done about it.

Furthermore, while the developer, Ubisoft, has made some bold and positive changes and updates to the game, it has made mistakes in other areas. For instance, at the start of 2022, it was revealed that the core of the Rainbow Six esports structure would be held in the UAE, which was met with backlash from fans around the world. There were concerns regarding the UAE’s policies on diversity, and in recognising this potential error in judgement, Ubisoft was forced to relocate these events.

Similarly, and also in 2022, Ubisoft revealed a decision to ‘nerf’ a popular Operator in-game. Again, this caused dissent among fans, and Ubisoft responded by declining to roll out the update. So, while there is developer support behind Rainbow Six Siege, it’s often the source of issues for the player base at large.

So, Is Rainbow Six Siege Dead?

No, Rainbow Six Siege isn’t dead – or dying.

There’s a slight decline in terms of overall viewership, but the player count remains strong. Furthermore, there’s plenty in the pipeline regarding Six Siege’s esports ecosystem, and the game itself is constantly being updated, with new Operators arriving with a fair amount of regularity. It keeps the game fresh, and overall, it offers a balanced and relatively well-received atmosphere.

In 2022, Rainbow Six Siege isn’t dying.