Nearly a month after Rainbow Six Siege’s most ambitious update in years, the dust is still settling on what has been dubbedSiege X, a sweeping reimagining of Ubisoft’s beloved tactical shooter. This isn’t just a seasonal refresh. It’s a bold attempt to futureproof a game that’s been defined by careful pacing, unforgiving tension, and one of the most passionate communities in multiplayer gaming.
The update introduces Dual Front, a bold 6v6 mode that breaks Siege’s core attacker vs. defender formula. Five legacy maps were visually overhauled, audio systems rebuilt, and core mechanics like rappelling refined. It’s the most dramatic shift the game has seen since launch.
But for every step forward, there are lingering questions about what’s being left behind. For longtime players, Siege X feels as foreign as it does familiar. To better understand the thinking behind the changes, I spoke with creative director Alexander Karpazis, live content director Christopher Budgen, and game director Joshua Mills about the goals of Siege X, the risks they took, and the future they’re building toward.
Dual Front Flips The Script On Siege
“Dual Front flips the script on how players think about roles, strategy, and team composition,” Mills says.
That flip comes with some fascinating, and sometimes disorienting, tactical implications. Operators known for specific, one-sided roles are now working in unfamiliar contexts.
“For the first time ever, attackers and defenders can mix and match on the same team, and the results are as wild as they are strategic,” Mills says. “Witnessing Kapkan rappelling or Sledge reinforcing is not just a visual twist, it opens up entirely new tactical layers.”
Those layers force players to rethink everything - from team comp to round pacing.
“Imagine Pulse on attack, using his heartbeat sensor to hunt down defenders, or Nomad on defense, using her Airjabs to disrupt aggressive pushes,” he adds. “These kinds of role reversals force players to rethink how they build their squads and approach each round.”
A Major Evolution Rooted In Community
Despite how different Siege X feels in places, the team insists this wasn’t about scrapping the old game or starting over. Instead, it’s revisiting long-standing community requests and finally having the breathing room to tackle them.
“Siege X is a major evolution of the game,” Karpazis says. “It was so important to honor the time and investment our players have made over the game’s ten-year history. Something like a sequel or reboot was never an option for us.
“This evolution of the game allowed us to look at major features we never could deliver on a three-month seasonal cadence, but players were asking for.”
Opening The Door To New Players
Part of the goal with Siege X was to lower the barrier of entry for new players. After ten years and countless metas, Siege isn’t exactly beginner-friendly. Ubisoft knows this, and it’s trying to bridge the gap.
“We’ve made a lot of changes for new players to onboard the Siege experience,” Budgen says. “Even though these changes have made Siege more welcoming than ever, we still have more plans with our AI Bots and first-time player tools.”
New tutorials, improved bot behavior, and better UI affordances are all part of that push. But while accessibility is key, the team insists that dumbing down the gameplay was never on the table.
“When we talk about what core elements needed to be preserved, the simple answer is ‘all of them’,” Mills says. “Siege’s DNA requires all the core tenets to be present to be Siege. Purposeful destruction, high-stakes grounded moment-to-moment action, and enough space for players to express their creativity through strategy.”
The hope is that new players can find their footing faster, without robbing veteran players of the depth and precision that defines Siege at its best.
On The Past And Future
For the team, Siege X is both a milestone and a new beginning. “Being part of Siege’s ten-year journey, and now helping shape its next era, is truly an honor,” Budgen says. “The incredible community that’s grown around it… Those connections, those shared experiences, that’s what will stay with me forever.”
For Karpazis, the real measure of Siege’s success goes beyond gameplay or numbers. It’s the stories from players whose lives the game has touched that make the work meaningful.
“Millions of players play our game, and every season I hear stories about how Siege has changed so many lives,” Karpazis says. “All of these stories make me incredibly proud to continue working on a game that brings so much to so many people.”
One month after launch, Siege X isn’t just an update; it’s a pivot point. Its new systems and big swings speak to a desire to redefine what the game can be in its second decade. But evolution rarely comes clean. For every bold idea, there’s the risk of losing something in translation.
Love it or hate it, Siege X makes one thing clear: the game’s tenth year could be its most interesting yet.
