Rainbow Six Siege and its mobile version get China approval

Rainbow Six Siege is coming to China after Tencent has received approval to be the game’s publisher in the Asian country. Both Rainbow Six Siege and the mobile version, Rainbow Six Siege mobile will release in China very soon. China is one of the biggest gaming markets and it could mean a huge boost in Rainbow Six Siege numbers and Ubisoft’s bottom line. 

The People’s Reublic of China approved fifteen video games for publication in China and it includes Rainbow Six Siege and Rainbow Six Siege mobile. 

Both PC and mobile versions of the game have received approval, which means we are only some time away from the game’s official release in China. Ubisoft is the developer for Rainbow Six Siege, but has received help from WeGame. WeGame is a subsidiary of Tencent Games. In 2022, Tencent invested $297 million in Ubisoft with $200 in shares and $100 in cash. The investment was deemed to be a way to secure Ubisoft’s future growth. It seems Rainbow Six Siege’s foray into China is one of the first steps to secure this future.

Rainbow Six Siege released in 2015 and has been one of the most strategic FPS games in the market. With a heavy emphasis on team synergy and strategic movement through a closed space, Rainbow Six Siege requires excellent communication and coordination between players. Ubisoft transitioned into the Games as a Service and fans were eager to adapt to the new game system. Over the year, Rainbow Six Siege has had a thriving esports ecosystem, with every year ending with the Six Invitational. In 2024, the Esports World Cup also features a Rainbow Six Siege tournament with $2 million on the line for participating teams. 

Rainbow Six Siege has a heavy emphasis on strategic thinking and making the gameplay as realistic as possible. In 2018, Ubisoft announced a change in development direction with game updates to make a ‘single, global version’ of the game. Now if the game released without any bloodshed or violence, fans would probably have cared less. But the change in direction was obviously related to a China-specific release, which would mean removing core elements that had come to define Rainbow Six Siege. Despite fierce backlash from the fans, Ubisoft went ahead with small incremental changes that made the game more compatible with a Chinese audience. 

Rainbow Six Siege Mobile will release sometime next year. Although the exact launch date is not yet public, fans expect the game to release in 2025 Q2. This means that Rainbow Six Siege Mobile will release in China from Day 1, which could mean a potential massive market for Ubisoft. With Tencent in partnership, Ubisoft will have a much easier task when it comes to game distribution and reach.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Rainbow Six Siege news and updates