Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
The Six Invitational is on the verge of coming to a close, but so too is the Raibow Six Pro League as everybody knows it. On Sunday, prior to the Six Invitational Grand Finals, Ubisoft announced that Rainbow Six Siege esports was about to undergo some significant changes and the format as it currently stands is about to shift into something that's more region-focused.
As revealed during a special panel at Sunday's Six Invitational, the current plan for the Rainbow Six Pro League is to finish up Season XI, which is set to conclude in the Grand Auditorium Anhembi in San Paulo, Brazil on the weekend of May 16-17. After the champion is crowned there, the Rainbow Six Pro League will essentially cease in its current form and instead focus on a regionalized program across the game's four main regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Each region will be in charge of the specifics of their own program, including partners, formats, and how it feeds into the greater global esport.
All four regions will run concurrently across four quarters, with the first three quarters each hosting a major for every region's top team. The final quarter will see every team race to the regional finals and determine relegations, with the world champion set to be crowned at the Six Invitational. Yes, the Six Invitational will remain in place and take place each February, as usual.
Teams will take part in an overhauled points system, one in which teams are rewarded for winning their majors. However, it's a system in which major winners are not guaranteed placement into the Six Invitational. Cumulative performance across the competitive year will matter, so if a team starts hot and sputters to the finish, they might miss the Invitational cut entirely.
Here's the current calendar for Years 5 and 6 of Rainbow Six Siege esports:
2020
2021
Look for more details regarding the future of Rainbow Six esports as Season XI continues to unfold. We'll certainly hear more about what's to come as the Pro League Finals for Season XI approaches. For more, be sure to check out the Rainbow Six website. And for more on the future of Rainbow Six Siege itself, be sure to check out our recent hands-on with Operation Void Edge.