Good news: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is getting a sequel.
However, it's quite different from the shooter or tactical simulation games you might expect—because Rainbow Six X is a top-down turn-based tactical strategy game, similar to Door Kickers or Ready or Not.
At Gamescom, I had the privilege of previewing a level from Rainbow Six X and speaking with the game's Creative Director, Elie Benhamou.
In fact, I noticed two details during this demo: first, the distinctive operator skill system from Rainbow Six Siege has been well preserved and seamlessly adapted to the foundational gameplay of turn-based tactical strategy.
For example, Ash's breaching rounds can blast through walls above or smash enemies below. Monte's full-body shield transforms him into a mobile total-cover barrier, capable of actively breaking enemy suppression (skills in tactical strategy games that control areas to prevent opponent movement) and withstand heavy siege fire. Although sniper Glaz no longer uses thermal lenses, his role and combat effectiveness as a sniper make him indispensable in many open battles—Glaz's sniper rifle also features special armor-piercing rounds that can penetrate multiple layers of cover to attack enemies behind them.
During the live demo, the development team repeatedly showcased various destructible soft and hard walls on the map, as well as the diverse tactical offensive possibilities enabled by the unique operator skill systems.
Of course, compared to the scant information released by Ubisoft, I'm sure you're more interested in the good news I managed to extract from the development team.
Without further ado, here is the full interview.
Q: The Rainbow Six series has long centered on first-person shooter gameplay. With the release of the new turn-based single-player tactical title, Rainbow Six X, what was the core motivation behind this project? Why choose to depart from the traditional shooter framework and delve into the single-player tactical niche?
A:Yes, I believe this decision was influenced by multiple factors. First, our team consists largely of tactical game enthusiasts, so we often reflect on what we can do, what we're good at, and where we can excel. Especially since this game is developed by Ubisoft Paris—a studio with tactical gaming heritage from Mario + Rabbids and professional military题材 expertise from the Ghost Recon development team.
So, we saw great potential here.
Of course, this isn't simply a case of "let's make a tactical game and randomly assign an IP." For the "Rainbow Six" IP, tactics are its core essence, ingrained in its DNA. So for us, making this game felt entirely natural.
This is also a great change for expanding the IP. Nowadays, when people think of "Rainbow Six," they mostly associate it with Rainbow Six Siege, the PvP tactical shooter. But the series has had many different titles across various eras—the tactical DNA runs through the entire franchise.
Now is an excellent opportunity to update the brand, expand the worldview, and enrich the experience while staying true to the roots of "Rainbow Six." We aim to blend the best elements from different eras, bringing outstanding operators from Rainbow Six Siege into this game. We retain the destruction mechanics while returning to the meticulous pre-mission planning seen in older titles like Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. We also inherited the high-risk single-player missions from Rainbow Six Vegas, intending to fuse these traits together from a fresh perspective.
And thus, Rainbow Six X was born. When Creative Director Elie pitched the concept of Rainbow Six X to me, it felt perfectly logical. Fortunately, early player feedback confirmed this—many players commented that it "felt right," which delighted us.
Q: So the game's business model is a one-time purchase with no season pass or microtransactions?
A:That's correct. A one-time purchase grants access to the full game, allowing you to experience the complete standalone campaign from start to finish.
Q: Are there any plans for future updates?
A:There are no current plans for that. The team's entire focus right now is on polishing the launch experience as much as possible. Being able to concentrate solely on refining the game without various additional monetization elements is a rare advantage. There are already plenty of excellent tactical strategy games on the market.
Q: Is Rainbow Six X part of the main Rainbow Six storyline, or is it a separate branch? Could there be sequels in the future?
A:It's too early to discuss sequels; Everythinggj depends on post-launch performance. Regarding worldview consistency, we collaborated closely with the Rainbow Six Siege team. We worked together on operators, story tone, narrative, and more. And I can assure you that this game's story is fully part of the official canon, connected to Rainbow Six Siege's plot, and forms part of the series' main storyline.
Q: Compared to traditional top-down turn-based tactical games, what are the advantages of this title? What makes players choose Rainbow Six X over other similar works?
A:We've extensively studied other tactical games as well, since we're passionate about this genre. We didn't want to simply copy someone else's framework and slap the "Rainbow Six" IP on it. We seriously considered how to innovate. During the creative phase, everyone had many ideas—the key was judgment: Is this idea good? Does it fit the IP?
Throughout the development process, we constantly asked ourselves: "Is this 'Rainbow Six' enough?"
The core essence of "Rainbow Six" is the most important benchmark for driving creativity and evaluating new designs. Speaking of core features, the breach mechanic you see is quite unique among tactical games. Rainbow Six X combines a classic tactical combat framework with breach gameplay, perfectly fitting the series' counter-terrorism fantasy. Operators can coordinate seamlessly, creating perfect synergies to catch enemies off guard.
Of course, we also drew inspiration from earlier titles, focusing heavily on implementing destruction mechanics. Achieving destructible environments in tactical games is technically very challenging. It allows players to use their creativity to forge their own attack routes. Therefore, we only adopt design ideas that are not only excellent but also true to the spirit of "Rainbow Six." Combining breach mechanics with a destruction system presented significant challenges both technically and in terms of design.
I'm very satisfied with the current product, mainly thanks to the team's relentless efforts. The breach system, camera performances, character animations, and environmental collisions all run beautifully—the results of our hard work are astonishing.
Q: I noticed that in the previous demo, Ash successfully eliminated terrorists using breaching rounds.
A:In fact, it's not just Ash's breaching rounds that can destroy walls; shotguns in Rainbow Six X can also break through walls, just like in Rainbow Six Siege. Many tactical games only allow locking onto a single target, but Rainbow Six X supports free aiming. As long as the aiming area is large enough, you can target two enemies simultaneously or hit both an enemy and their cover at the same time.
Moreover, the demo doesn't reveal Everythinggj. For instance, operator designs are derived from Rainbow Six Siege, with each operator having their own RPG-like skill tree. The game features a wide variety of items and tools, only some of which were shown in the demo.
The demonstrator, Alex, is a designer himself and knows the levels inside out, so what you saw was a near-perfect run. Actual player experiences will certainly differ. In real gameplay, operators will miss shots, fail, and get injured. We provide assist options, customization, and difficulty adjustments, but the game is designed to be challenging from the ground up.
We want to create a challenging experience. If it were just about moving, shooting, taking cover, and staying alert, it wouldn't be the tactical game we envision.
Q: Where does the story of Rainbow Six X fit within the Rainbow Six worldview?
A:The story of this game is fully part of the main Rainbow Six canon and is official lore, complementing the plot of Rainbow Six Siege. Players familiar with Siege's storyline know there's a narrative gap between Year 10 and Year 11. At the end of Year 10, the original Rainbow team was disbanded, leaving the world without Rainbow. By Year 11, however, Rainbow has been rebuilt and restored under Bishop's leadership.
Our story takes place during this gap—the game begins in a world where Rainbow no longer exists, and the situation is precarious. The story starts with a massive terrorist attack targeting nine intelligence agencies on the same day. This crisis necessitates the reactivation of Rainbow Six and the appointment of a new "Six" commander.
You probably remember the storyline from Year 9 to Year 10 in Rainbow Six Siege, where Hereford Base was destroyed, creating a critical situation. When aligning timelines with the Siege team, we immediately agreed on creating a major crisis like this, allowing players to take charge of the situation.
It's the perfect opportunity for us to tell the story of rebuilding the base and reviving Rainbow.
Specifically, players will experience a highly tense chapter where the entire story unfolds over just a few weeks. Crises arise one after another, requiring intervention almost daily. New players can use this opportunity to fully understand the Rainbow Six universe, encountering various special units and factions around the world.
Q: Is the game's narrative linear or branching with multiple paths? Will there be numerous side quests leading to different story outcomes?
A:The main storyline is largely linear. We aim to carefully craft a complete and grand narrative, especially since this is Rainbow Six's return to single-player storytelling after many years—telling a memorable story is inherently challenging. We hope to recreate the techno-thriller style of Tom Clancy's original works, but the era is now 2026, and the world has changed. We need to consider how to tell a story that fits the present day.
We will still use the classic Rainbow Six storytelling framework, but players' experiences in progressing through chapters and unlocking the plot may vary. Key plot points remain consistent for everyone, while choices made within the base and on the battlefield can lead to different experiences.
More details will be announced later.
Q: Which specific games did you draw inspiration and insights from?
A:Internal expertise primarily comes from the two Mario + Rabbids titles. Our Level Design Director participated in those projects. We accumulated extensive experience in level design, turn-based pacing, objective flow, and enemy behavior patterns, and our marketing team also has relevant experience.
Meanwhile, Ghost Recon contributed expertise in equipment, military settings, enemy AI, and fog of war mechanics. A hallmark of Ghost Recon is its high degree of freedom in operational planning. Although the settings differ, we've incorporated this open tactical approach into our game as well.
As for external influences, there are simply too many to list them all. XCOM 2 is undoubtedly a masterpiece. We studied its strengths and considered how to differentiate ourselves. Jagged Alliance also provided considerable inspiration, showing how to transform a major action IP into a tactical game with impressive production quality worth learning from.
Of course, we're only borrowing this approach, not copying it outright. Each IP needs to find表达方式 that suits its own genetic makeup.
We've also observed many other excellent indie tactical games—SWAT Team Wizard is outstanding, offering a slightly satirical deconstruction of the counter-terrorism genre. Personally, I really enjoy Into the Breach and Door Kickers.
Q: Speaking of "XCOM," I think everyone knows that meme.
A:I know what you're asking. First, let me remind you that Alex's perfect accuracy in the previous closed-door demo was mainly due to his skilled performance. This game also features a hit probability mechanism, which wasn't heavily emphasized in the demo. When aiming at enemies, the hit probability is clearly displayed, ranging up to 100%, with lower values around 75%. These probabilities show detailed calculations, influenced by multiple parameters such as cover, flanking maneuvers, and high-ground advantages.
We strive to make probability calculations transparent to reduce frustration. However, even a 90% hit chance can result in a miss, just as in real combat.
Q: Oh no, I can already expect some new memes to emerge.
A:This can also be considered within the context of counter-terrorism: as a counter-terrorist operator, would you take a shot with a 50% hit chance? Or would you choose to flank to create better conditions? That's the kind of decision the game presents.
Q: I'd definitely take the long way around to ensure success.
A:This is precisely the Rainbow experience. Tactical players might be willing to take a 50% chance, but with bombs and hostages involved, can you afford the cost of failure? It's only logical to flank, secure high ground, and create advantages. Moreover, if you enable permadeath mode, reckless gambling becomes even less advisable.
However, the choice ultimately lies with the player. You can take risks if you wish, but if you prefer stability, you must carefully manage action points and positioning.
Q: Will Rainbow Six X have crossovers with other Ubisoft titles? Or with other games in the Rainbow Six series?
A:There are no crossover plans at the moment. Our priority remains focused on polishing the core game experience.
Q: Finally, do you have any message for Rainbow Six Siege players?
A:If you seek the adrenaline rush of real-time confrontation, the gameplay experiences differ significantly. Rainbow Six Siege is a PvP first-person tactical shooter, while Rainbow Six X is a single-player turn-based tactical strategy game. However, after playing a few intense matches in Siege, you might want to relax with our game. Here, you'll see familiar operators and skills, and you'll still need to think about where to move and whom to attack.
Q: Do you have anything else to say to Chinese players?
A:I can't wait to see Chinese players get their hands on it. We'll release more information soon so everyone can play it as early as possible. I'm very curious about feedback from Chinese players—I understand the Chinese market well, and strategic decision-making is a core highlight in many games popular among you.
Rainbow Six X will feature full Simplified Chinese localization. As Narrative Director, we invested significant effort into the script, cinematic cutscenes, and voice actor selection. We hope you enjoy the Chinese dubbing in this game.