Ubisoft devs want Rainbow Six Siege free to play to happen

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege remains one of the most successful games in the market and comfortably sits in the Steam top 10 for roughly a couple of years. Quite a feat for sure, and one that is going to be tough to beat by its follow-up Rainbow Six Quarantine, when it releases sometime during 2020. But the devs' ambition is relentless, as they confess that they “want the game to be accessible to everyone.” In other words, a Rainbow Six Siege free to play release is bound to happen.

Speaking to PC Gamer, Rainbow Six Siege director Leroy Athanassoff admitted that he wants the game to go free to play at some point. However, it's not just his decision, but the company's: “It’s a company decision. I think on the development team we want that at some point. We want the game to be accessible to everyone,” he stated.

Don't Miss: Blue Protocol Release Date | Is a Blue Protocol western release planned?

However, the business model switch isn't as simple as pressing a button or changing the price tag. You need to make sure that some features are implemented in order to create a successful free to play game. According to Athanassoff, a feature preventing the use of smurfing is something that would be in the cards. Smurfing is a practice that is extremely common (an punishable) in popular games such as Fortnite and Dota 2, where an experienced player uses a new account for easy wins against lower-level players.

While Rainbow Six Siege is far from being an expensive game (it retails for $20 and is currently offering a 60% sale), removing the barrier of entry would surely grant it a significant player base boost. It could eventually catch up to the current number four Steam game, Grand Theft Auto V, although it would need a huge boost to reach number three, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds. Still, this would provide the tactical shooter with a longevity that many games can only dream of, if Ubisoft doesn't screw up with the monetization.

While a Rainbow Six Siege free download isn't yet official, you can always look forward to the regular free weekends that Ubisoft releases. These should give you a good idea on the quality of the game and if you should fork out for the admittedly low price of entry, or wait for the eventual free to play release.

Last year, Rainbow Six brand director Alexandre Remy commented on the possibility of Siege going free to play and seemed against it. His argument made some sense, pointing that a free game may lead to an increase in toxicity and players who will contribute to the degradation of the community.