Ubisoft confirms DLC maps for Rainbow Six Siege will be free

By Kris Wouk September 17, 2015

Rainbow Six: Siege — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Anyone who has played a Halo game on the Xbox 360 is well aware of the need to shell out cash for additional multiplayer maps, and for a time it seemed this was going to be the way things were done forever. Recently, however, certain publishers have been backing away from that practice, and now Ubisoft is one of them.

If you’re planning on playing the publisher’s upcoming Rainbow Six Siege, don’t worry about having to pay for new maps. The company hasn’t said that it won’t sell DLC, simply that maps will be downloadable for free.

“At launch, Rainbow Six Siege will have 11 maps, playable both day or night, all using the full potential of our Real Blast destruction technology. In addition, all post-launch maps will be downloadable for free,” Ubisoft said in a statement. “We want players to stay with us for the long term and have ambitious post-launch plans that we will detail at a later stage.”

This is especially important in competitive multiplayer games as it helps a game’s community to thrive. Paid map packs fragment the userbase, dividing players into those who can play every map, and those who can’t. If players can’t easily jump into a match, they’re going to move on to a game where they can.

If you’re waiting to see how well Rainbow Six Siege plays, you’ll have a chance next week when the closed beta of the game launches on September 24. Those who have pre-ordered the game should already have a code to enter the beta, while those who haven’t can sign up to be placed on a waiting list.

Originally slated for an October 13 release, Rainbow Six Siege will now be released on December 1, with Ubisoft saying that “extra testing and added polish will make for a higher-quality experience at launch.” The game will be available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and a special collector’s edition of the game will sell for $150.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

The best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction

The heroes of Rainbow Six Siege pose for the camera.

Based on the very popular Outbreak mode that appeared for a limited time in Rainbow Six Siege, Rainbow Six Extraction expands on the co-op-focused gameplay as opposed to the pure round-based PvP style of the main game. However, this title retains nearly every element from Siege, including the high tension gameplay, dynamic destruction, emphasis on snap reflexes, and teamwork. This game is so targeted at fans of the long-supported tactical shooter that they even carried over the same Operators from that game, although with some small changes, into Rainbow Six Extraction. However, facing the Archaean monsters is very different than human opponents.

Just like in Rainbow Six Siege, the Operators that made it into Rainbow Six Extraction are very well balanced for the most part. Most will have the same general kits, including weapons, gadgets, and gear, while others have had tweaks to fit the new style of game better. At launch, we have a roster of 18 Operators to pick for every mission, though only nine available right from the start. Even if your favorite made the cut, you'll want to have at least a backup or two ready for when they get injured or captured and you're forced to swap. To help you form the best team, here are the best Operators in Rainbow Six Extraction.

Gaming

Rainbow Six Extraction: 9 tips and tricks for beginners

Rainbow Six Extraction enemy spawning.

Rainbow Six Extraction is an unforgiving game. Not only does it throw a bunch of concepts and strange terminology at you in rapid succession, but its gameplay is incredibly tense and heavily dependent on teamwork. Players who have spent any time with Siege will have a bit of an advantage (many of the operators from the game make a return for this co-op shooter), but there's still a large learning curve to overcome.

Whether you're a Siege veteran or a complete newcomer to the Rainbow Six franchise, here are nine Rainbow Six Extraction tips to help you survive the Archaean threat.

Computing

I doubled my Rainbow Six Extraction frame rate with 1 setting

Soldiers shooting aliens in Rainbow Six Extraction.

Rainbow Six Extraction turns the formula established by Rainbow Six Siege on its head, pitting you and and group of teammates against a horde of zombie-like enemies instead of against another team. The game comes with Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) built-in, but even with a supported graphics card, I've been using the in-engine dynamic resolution setting.

With this setting, I was able to double my frame rate, all with a surprisingly low impact on image quality. Those with the best graphics cards can use DLSS; for the rest of us, Rainbow Six Extraction's dynamic resolution is a dream come true.