When Rainbow Six Siege transformed into the free-to-play Rainbow Six Siege X in June, it didn’t meet the high expectations set by the community. Players were disappointed with how slow the currency earning system was, an issue that has since been remedied. However, the most pressing concern has been the alarming increase in cheating.

During a chat at Gamescom Asia, I spoke with Ubisoft’s creative director, Alexander Karpazis, about the extent of this cheating. He stated, “We were aware that having free access could lead to exploitation, and we’ve been enhancing our R6 ShieldGuard to tackle it. Yet, we must be quicker in staying ahead of cheat developers.”

Karpazis acknowledged that completely eradicating cheating is unrealistic, emphasizing to players, “There will always be some level of cheating present. Our objective is to respond quicker and make it more difficult and costly for cheat developers, prompting some to exit the scene, which is beneficial for competitive integrity.”

The strategic nature of Siege draws many cheaters, as it is a tactical shooter requiring significant skill and commitment. The legality of cheating is a psychological game in itself. Karpazis noted, “When someone finds a way to gain a competitive advantage, they will pursue it, sometimes at great personal cost, deriving satisfaction from winning. This behavior is a common aspect of popular competitive games like Siege.”

With its launch, Siege featured a basic PvE mode called Terrorist Hunt that later disappeared, sparking an ongoing inquiry into the possibility of reintroducing such elements. Karpazis expressed optimism: “We are looking at enhancing AI bots to serve as teammates during training, reducing pressure on players learning the game. Our future updates may closely resemble the old Terrorist Hunt mode, focusing on training and onboarding functionalities.”

In conclusion, he shared his thoughts on Ready or Not, another tactical shooter, saying, “I absolutely love it; it’s a fantastic game that offers a fresh experience.”