Good news: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is getting a sequel.
However, it's quite different from the shooter or tactical simulation games most people 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 Tier 1 level in Rainbow Six X and even got the chance to speak with Creative Director Elie Benhamou.
In fact, I noticed two details during this demo: First, the unique operator skill systems from Rainbow Six Siege have been well preserved and perfectly adapted to the foundational gameplay of turn-based tactical strategy games.
For example, Ash's breaching round can breach walls for entry or be used to knock down enemies upon landing. Monte's full-body shield transforms him into a mobile full-cover barrier, allowing him to actively break enemy suppression (skills in tactical strategy games where characters control areas to block 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 capable of penetrating multiple layers of cover to attack enemies behind them.
During the live demo, the development team repeatedly showcased the various destructible soft and hard walls on the map, as well as the diverse tactical approaches enabled by the unique operator skill systems.
Of course, compared to Ubisoft's sparse disclosures, I believe everyone is more interested in the good news I managed to extract from the development team.
Without further ado, here is the specific content of the interview.
Q: The Rainbow Six series has long centered on first-person shooter gameplay. What was the core motivation behind launching the new turn-based single-player tactical title, Rainbow Six X? Why choose to depart from the traditional shooter framework and delve into the single-player tactical niche?
A:Yes, I believe this decision was driven 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 title is developed by Ubisoft Paris—a studio with tactical gaming heritage from Mario + Rabbids and professional military expertise from the Ghost Recon development team.
So, we felt there was great potential here.
Of course, this isn't simply a case of "let's make a tactical game and randomly assign an IP." Tactics are the core of the "Rainbow Six" IP; it's ingrained in its DNA. So, making this game felt like a natural progression for us.
This is also a great change for expanding the IP. Nowadays, when people mention "Rainbow Six," they mostly think of Rainbow Six Siege, the PvP tactical shooter. But the series has had many different titles across multiple 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 various eras, bringing the excellent operators from Rainbow Six Siege into this title. 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-stakes 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 incredibly logical. Fortunately, early player feedback confirmed this—many players commented that it "felt right," which made us very happy.
Q: So the business model is a one-time purchase with no season passes or microtransactions?
A:Correct. A one-time payment 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 plans for that at the moment. The team's current focus is entirely on polishing the launch experience as much as possible. Being able to concentrate on refining the game without the distraction of various additional monetization features 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 continuity, or is it a standalone branch? Could there be sequels in the future?
A:It's too early to discuss sequels; Everythinggj depends on post-launch performance. Regarding lore consistency, we collaborated closely with the Rainbow Six Siege team. We coordinated on operators, story tone, narrative, and more. And I can assure you that this story is fully canonical, connected to Rainbow Six Siege, and 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 have extensively studied other tactical games, as we are passionate about this genre. We didn't want to simply copy others' frameworks and slap the "Rainbow Six" IP on top. 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 driving creativity and evaluating new designs. Regarding core features, the breaching mechanic you saw is quite unique among tactical games. Rainbow Six X combines a classic tactical combat framework with breaching gameplay, perfectly fitting the series' counter-terrorism fantasy. Operators can coordinate seamlessly, executing perfect combos to catch enemies off guard.
Of course, we also referenced earlier titles, focusing on implementing destruction mechanics. Achieving destructibility in tactical games is technically very challenging. Players can unleash their creativity by forging their own attack routes. Therefore, we only adopt design ideas that are not only excellent but also fit "Rainbow Six." The combination of breaching mechanics and the destruction system presented huge challenges for both technology and design.
I'm very satisfied with the current product, largely thanks to the team's relentless efforts. Systems like breaching, camera work, character animations, and environmental collisions all run beautifully—the results of our hard work are astonishing.
Q: I noticed that in previous demos, Ash successfully eliminated terrorists using her breaching rounds.
A:In fact, it's not just Ash's breaching rounds that can destroy walls; shotguns in Rainbow Six X can also breach walls, just like in Rainbow Six Siege. Many tactical games only allow locking onto single targets, whereas Rainbow Six X supports free aiming. As long as the aiming area is large enough, you can target two enemies simultaneously, or strike both an enemy and their cover at the same time.
Furthermore, the demo didn't reveal Everythinggj. For instance, operator designs originate from Rainbow Six Siege, with each operator having an independent RPG-like skill tree. The game features a rich variety of gadgets 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. However, 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 from the ground up to be challenging.
We aim to create a challenging title. If it were merely about moving, shooting, taking cover, and holding angles, it wouldn't qualify as the tactical game we envision.
Q: Where does the story of Rainbow Six X fit within the Rainbow Six universe?
A:This story is fully part of the main "Rainbow Six" continuity and is official canon, complementing the plot of Rainbow Six Siege. Players familiar with Rainbow Six Siege's storyline know there is a narrative gap between Year 10 and Year 11. At the end of Year 10, the old Rainbow team disbanded, leaving the world without Rainbow. By Year 11, Rainbow has been rebuilt and returned under Bishop's leadership.
Our story takes place during this gap—the world begins without Rainbow, and the situation is precarious. The story kicks off with a massive terrorist attack targeting nine intelligence agencies on the same day. This crisis forces the reactivation of Rainbow and the appointment of a new "Six" commander.
You probably remember the storyline from Year 9 to Year 10 of Rainbow Six Siege, where the 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.
This provides the perfect opportunity for us to tell the story of rebuilding the base and rebooting Rainbow.
To be precise, players will experience a highly tense chapter, with the entire story unfolding over just a few weeks. Crises occur 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 narrative linear or does it feature a branching web? 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 marks 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 must consider how to tell a story that resonates with the present day.
We will continue to use the classic Rainbow Six narrative framework, but the experience of progressing through chapters and unlocking the story will vary from player to player. Key plot points remain consistent for everyone, while choices made within the base and on the battlefield will lead to different experiences.
More details will be revealed later.
Q: Which specific titles did you draw inspiration and insights from?
A:Internal experience primarily comes from the two Mario + Rabbids titles. Our Level Design Director worked on 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 experience in equipment, military settings, enemy AI, and fog of war. A hallmark of Ghost Recon is the high degree of freedom in operational planning. Although the settings differ, we have integrated this open tactical mindset into this title.
There are simply too many external references to list them all. XCOM 2 is undoubtedly a timeless masterpiece. We studied its strengths and considered how to differentiate ourselves. Jagged Alliance also provided significant inspiration, successfully transforming a major action IP into a tactical game with production standards worth emulating.
Of course, we are only borrowing this approach, not copying it outright. Each IP needs to find表达方式 that fits its own DNA.
We've also closely observed other excellent indie tactical games—Door Kickers: Wizard Squad is outstanding, offering a playful deconstruction of counter-terrorism themes. I personally love Into the Breach, as well as Door Kickers.
Q: Speaking of "XCOM," I think everyone knows that meme image.
A:I know what you're asking. First, I must remind you that seeing Alex land every shot in the previous closed-door demo was mainly due to his skill. This game also features hit probability mechanics, which weren't heavily emphasized in the demo. Aiming at enemies clearly displays hit probability, up to 100%, with lower chances around 75%. These probabilities include detailed calculations influenced by multiple parameters such as cover, flanking, and high-ground advantages.
We strive to make probability calculations transparent to reduce frustration. But even a 90% hit chance can result in a miss, just as in real combat.
Q: Oh no, I can look forward to new memes being born.
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 is the choice the game presents.
Q: I would definitely take the long way to ensure absolute safety.
A:This is exactly 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 try to flank, secure high ground, and create advantages. Moreover, if you enable permadeath mode, reckless gambling becomes even less viable.
However, the choice ultimately lies with the player. If you insist on taking risks, you can, but if you prefer stability, you need to manage your action points and positioning carefully.
Q: Will Rainbow Six X have crossovers with other Ubisoft titles? Or with other works within the "Rainbow Six" series?
A:There are currently no crossover plans. 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 are vastly different. 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 Rainbow Six Siege, you might want to relax with us. Here, you'll see familiar operators and skills, and you'll still need to think about where to move and who to attack.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to say to Chinese players?
A:I can't wait to see Chinese players get their hands on it. We will release more information soon so everyone can play it earlier. I'm very curious about feedback from Chinese players—I understand the Chinese market, and strategic decision-making is a core highlight of many games widely loved by you.
Rainbow Six X will launch with full Simplified Chinese localization support. As Narrative Director, we invested significant effort into the script, cinematic cutscenes, and voice actor selection. We hope everyone enjoys the Chinese dubbing in this title.