Popular tactical shooter Rainbow Six is on its way to mobile devices, publisher Ubisoft confirmed on Tuesday. The game, which will be somewhat similar to Siege, will see teams battling it out in familiar locations.
Rainbow Six Mobile is being built “from the ground up with mobile usability in mind,” its developers said. It will feature a new control system specifically for touchscreens, and “extensive” optimizations for smartphones and tablets.
Rainbow Six Mobile gears up for launch
“Rainbow Six Mobile is coming to iOS and Android devices, adapting the tense, tactical firefights of Rainbow Six Siege into a free-to-play mobile package,” read the announcement published on Ubisoft’s blog.
“Featuring voice chat (along with a single-tap ping system), and cross-play between iOS and Android, Rainbow Six Mobile’s 5v5 matches unfold across such familiar maps such as Border and Bank.”
The game will also feature a variety of game modes, including Bomb and Secure Area, with action that’s “streamlined for mobile.”
‘Far from simplified’
But don’t let that put you off. Despite being designed as a truly mobile experience, Rainbow Six Mobile will be “far from simplified,” Ubisoft added. Players will be able to smash destructible walls, deploy gadgets, and more.
Creative Director Justin Swan describes the title as something of a recreation of Siege and a brand-new Rainbow Six game. It will share many things in common with the console game fans love, but with some tweaks for mobile.
“The maps are roughly the same maps; there’s a bit of destruction that’s been changed, and other little things have been optimized,” Swan said. Some features that don’t really work on smartphones have also been removed.
“But then we’re trying to expand in a lot of places … We’re adding more onboarding into the game, and different in-depth Operator unlock and progression systems … it’ll evolve very much into its own thing.”
Not a console replacement
Obviously Rainbow Six Mobile isn’t designed to replace the console and PC versions of the game, the development team said. Instead, it gives fans the opportunity to “play the game you love in short, accessible bursts.”
After more than three years in development, Rainbow Six Mobile is ready to enter testing with real players. Fans who are interesting in trying out an alpha built of the game can sign up on the Ubisoft website.
Places will be limited initially, as is always the case with early alphas. The game does not yet have a release date. For more information on its features and development, check out Ubisoft’s full interview with Swan.
