Rainbow Six Siege director defends loot boxes as 'the gift shop after the rollercoaster'

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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has steadily grown since its 2015 debut and now sits among today's biggest first-person shooters. With regular free seasons of content going into its third year since launch, Ubisoft heavily supports the game via season passes and purchasable cosmetic items.

While microtransactions are far from new to Rainbow Six Siege, the game recently caught heat over its upcoming "Outbreak Packs." Providing randomized loot drops from a pool of exclusive cosmetic content, these packs tie into the game's upcoming biohazard-themed mode, Mission Outbreak. However, unlike existing Alpha Packs, Outbreak Packs can only be obtained with R6 Credits – the game's premium currency obtainable with real-world money.

This isn't the first time Rainbow Six Siege has restricted cosmetic content to real-world money, but by locking down a sizeable portion of the next expansion's cosmetic content pool, community backlash ensued. In an interview with MCV UK, Rainbow Six brand director, Alexandre Remy has reportedly responded to the criticism, providing his perspective on industry-wide loot box debacle.

"I feel like the loot boxes act like the gift shop after the rollercoaster," Remy says, explaining that the team's golden rule with regards to loot boxes is that they shouldn't impact the gameplay in any way. "I am feeling very empathetic towards players upset with this, but at the same time I do not feel we are cheating anyone, I don't think we are being greedy whatsoever."

Rainbow Six Siege's business model has embraced microtransactions since launch, with weapon skins, charms, headgear, and armor up for grabs. Following industry trends, Outbreak Packs are a natural progression of this concept, though mark a significant departure from the game's existing business model. Unlike a "gift shop," where specific goods can be purchased for real-world cash, the randomized nature of Outbreak Packs could leave unlucky players spending close to $100 to obtain their preferred item.

Outbreak Packs are set to hit Rainbow Six Siege on March 6, as a part of the game's upcoming Outbreak event. Packs will cost 300 R6 Credits each, which depending on the number of credits purchased, roughly varies between $2 and $3. With no duplicates available with these packs, buying 50 guarantees the complete Outbreak collection.

What are your thoughts on loot boxes in Rainbow Six Siege? Make sure to drop your thoughts in the comments.

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown is a senior editor at Future for Windows Central. Following six years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Xbox and Windows PCs. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.
36 Comments
  • Why can't games be like League of Legends for example, where you get most of the game free, and if you want a cosmetic(skins or whatever) you can just straight up buy it for a couple of bucks and that's it. I mean yes LoL has some boxes as well but they're kinda different. And it's not like Riot (the dev team) doesn't get money from it. They're getting A LOT. And there's no reason for them to be greedy.
  • Why? Greed.
  • I'd like to point out that the outbreak packs are only cosmetic, just like anything else in Siege. There is no performance advantage. Also, you cannot get duplicates with the outbreak packs. If you have a season pass, you already start out with some outbreak packs. Outside of game purchases and season passes, the money spent in this game is mainly on cosmetics. Some people spend money it, some don't. The fact that people complain they aren't getting things for free just shows how much people whine and expect things for free. They need to make money, I'm fine with this. This doesn't affect gameplay. If people want to spend money on loot boxes that guarantees no duplicates during the purchases, then go ahead. If people can't control their own money and spending, that is their problem. Quit coddling and legislating people because of their stupidity!
  • LOL what a funny post. I'd like to point out that this is a full price game that's introducing mobile phone f2p economics. Making same old bs excuses for these companies.... "It's just cosmetic", "It doesn't affect me.", "They need the money", "It doesn't affect me", "doesn't affect gameplay", "giving choice to gamers"...  Anyway here is a video for you (I have more for all your arguments but this should be enough): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4TbRaAQncw
  • And another thing. It's really funny how predictable post by people like you are. You are all defending and damage controlling this while not actually buying it. You're not even buying the thing you are defending.... You didn't even say ONCE how this is good for gaming and gamers. All damage control for greedy AAA publishers... smh
  • > predictable post by people like you are
    I've to say... like yours? this one and above?
    You, 1 voice. His, 1 voice. The vid you linked, 1 voice. But you are all enthusiast. Gamers that don't bother come to forum or tracking game news, many voices. Who really knows what's going on? Studios and data researchers. Like PorscheRacer14 said, it's just cosmetic and whiner whines. Not all gamer game cheap or carea baout these stuff. They have other things to care.
  • U Know, u dont just have to argue for the sake of it. There should be no microtransactions in a game you pay full price for.
  • They can open 2000 cosmetics for free and ask you to grind like we used to 10, 20 years ago.
    ↑ this is fine. 2000 cosmetics for grinding + offer half of'em (rare ones) in lootbox for in-game-cash.
    ↑ this is fine, even from you I presumed. 2000 cosmetics for grinding + offer half of'em (rare ones) in lootbox for in-game-cash & real-world-cash.
    ↑ Why isn't this fine? Are you having hard time playing with others? Is it a crime? * game making was much cheaper & hurt much lesser even if 1, 2 or 3 projects turn sour, in no shape for release / announcement. Why do you think Japanese pop out much lesser games the last 2 generations, lost their varieties? Why Nintendo is the only j-dev doing ok? Why Japanese console market's (also its world dominance) shrinks YoY? Why porting Border Break to ps4 is somehow close to a miracle? Do you know what dev team's like inside BNEI? Do you know why Kojima left (to be exact, got deported) Konami? Do you want Ubisoft (or any bigger studio) to disband tomorrow? Oh... let's create 200 indie studios and have'em pumping out 200 Owlboy/ RainWorld typpa games every year! Argue for the sake of it?
    You, 1 voice
  • What's with all the
  • LOL 
    Ridiculous post once again by Hirox K. Free to play economics in a full price game is wrong. Full stop.
    If they want to have free to play economics then make a ****ing free to play game. It's hilarious how you want to make it sound as though if these greedy companies don't use loot box and microtransactions they'll go bankrupt. That's actually hilarious when you think then a company like EA is actually spending less (adjusted to inflation) on game development than in 2009. 
    https://i.redditmedia.com/WrqhuydRl3q3p7PRzsyHi3usLtggqEknCQR-StsbREg.pn... It's hilarious how their revenues have increased a lot since they added loot box and microtransactions in their games. And the EA's stocks are at an all time high most probably due to that.
    https://www.gamespot.com/articles/with-battlefront-2-microtransactions-c... It's so funny how EA tells their investors that removing microtransactions from battlefront 2 won't affect earnings, yet you talk of big studios disbanding. LOL
    https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-tells-investors-turning-off-battlefront-2s-mi... Not just that. It's not the tiny studios that are doing it. It's the massive companies doing it. If others can make criticially amazing games (Breath of the wild, Horizon ZD, The witcher, Hellblade...)  without the need of including microtransactions/lootbox why can't the companies you defend/worship do it? All companies have a budget to make games. If they really need to use MT/Loot box in a full price game as their business model so that the game makes money then they are to blame for it because other companies are doing it... You can try to downplay our arguments and the video I posted by calling it "1 vote". But unlike you the video I posted discuss with facts. There are many videos that bring actual numbers and facts. I would suggest you educate yourself by watching them. Instead of just trying to argue for the sake of it with bs arguments that supports anti-gaming policies. Anyway before you cry for these major publishers here is a video that takes into account facts. Facts taken from public data.
    There are marketing, development and cost of goods sold adjusted for inflation. He has taken EA, activision and Ubisoft. He also considers record profits...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qq6HcKj59Q  Watch this and educate youself. It may just be "1 voice" that was upvoted 18K times but it provides fans and actual numbers that kills most (if not all) the arguments by the 1 voice of company "fan" such as youself...
  • > Not just that. It's not the tiny studios that are doing it.
    > It's the massive companies doing it.
    Isn't this no brainer?
    Why do you think Japanese pop out much lesser games the last 2 generations, lost their varieties? Why Nintendo is the only j-dev doing ok? Why Japanese console market's (also its world dominance) shrinks YoY? Why porting Border Break to ps4 is somehow close to a miracle? Do you know what dev team's like inside BNEI? Do you know why Kojima left (to be exact, got deported) Konami?
    Answer is here.
  • I don't see what your comment got to do with anything really. All I see is that while I make points and posts links and evidence of my claims, you only ask questions that has little or nothing to do with what's being discussed.
  • If I'm going to put it in one word, making game is expensive & the bigger the company become the more expensive. And there are other side info / knowlodge you can extract outta those questions & puzles. These questions are all connected and are all facts if you work in Japan esp in game industry. Q: assumig the BP is 1m copies, we certainly cannot sell less tham that or else we'll go backrupt. How do you stop the earning after we sold 1m+10? No possible. And if it's a heat, 2m, 3m is expected. But at the same time, we need to cover holes we made from other projects.
    Again, the bigger the company become, the riskier. Unless you want a AAA maker disband to form 200 indipendant indie studios. Hence, it's the massive companies doing it.
  • Making games may be expensive but it also bring a lot of money. I've already showed you videos where major AAA companies are generally spending lot less than in 2019 (adjusting to inflation) but make record profits (again adjusted to inflation). How does business work? You have a budget, have targets sell your product and make a profit through sales. If you eventually overspend it's your fault.  But when it comes to these AAA companies it's not about surviving. It's about making MASSIVE profits for their investors. EA already told their investors that removing microtransactions from their game won't affect profit. You just want to ignore all these and keep making statements without providing any actual data.  
  • > Making games may be expensive but it also bring a lot of money.
    > How does business work? You have a budget, have targets
    > sell your product and make a profit through sales Then why J-devs are hesitating making more? Facts that j-dev (BNEI, Sega, SE, etc) don't thtink a lot of their games will pass even BP. Even if it will, still not worth doing if you can only earn a lilo. Proposals get turned down because of that. A lotta CLASSICS we used to play get turned down because of that. Many time, they will only release fund to dev for / port to one console (the one that does well in Japan), unless your game features IP that has a global appeal e.g. DragonBall.
    Like I said before, we outsourced a project (not new IP). Project ran for years and it gone sour, our best programmer couldn't fix it. Lost us $60m. Upper level wants to outsource again to postpond the loses to another quater. That money needs to come from somewhere. So another game needs to make more money for it.
    * It's not too rare a project failed appearently.
    * We still need to pay'em even if people are not assigned to any project, drinking coffee everyday. e.g. I had 4 months doing no company work besides my own experiments. FF15 team... BNEI game studio... cough cough.
  • "Facts that j-dev (BNEI, Sega, SE, etc) don't thtink a lot of their games will pass even BP. "
    Fact? Then prove it. But once again. You just ignore whatever GAMING stats and points I make. You bring some off-topic and unprovable bs that brings nothing to the discussion.
  • > "Facts that j-dev (BNEI, Sega, SE, etc) don't thtink a lot of their games will pass even BP. "
    I don't need to prove it, you'd know if you are in the industry. > But once again. You just ignore whatever GAMING stats and points I make.
    Cause not worth look into.
  • btw, I'll give you a few examples. gameranx.com has a youTube channel that like to talk about game tech, but in the end, they are just outsiders. It's worthless info / talks when they trying to go deep. And people who believe those talks... Journalist and sites are not always correct. People who do FYK are ignorants. Typical fan or net troll.
  • @Hirox K I have 1 voice. The video I posted has 178 708 views 7K likes to around 200 dislike.  Who knows what's going on? Studios? data researchers?  At the end of the day gamers matter. You are a company "fan". Company "fans" like you often defend these huge AAA publishers over gamers interests.  We've recently seen how gamers have a say in all of this. The battlefront 2 situation showed that there were more gamers that are against microtransactions/loot box than company "fans" who are defending it. You want to call us whiners? Cool, I would call us gamers fighting for gaming. Also I wouldn't call you "gamers" but more company "fans" or slaves of these AAA publishers.   
  • > company "fan"
    I'm just doing my if-else, from the knowledge I obtained from observation, number reading, talking to people (not just programmer, but also director, planner, designer, people in international business departments, people from other studio) who's in the industry for 20, 30 even 40 years.
    Unlike you (and most of my colleagues), I happened to be a globalist. My GF & friends are also globalist nonetheless.
    I've lived and worked around the globe, my family also have investments around the globe (including something rectangle & flat, people using daily, holding in their hand or placing on their desk). Why don't you give me your if-else, true-false? * They can open 2000 cosmetics for free and ask you to grind like we used to 10, 20 years ago.
    ↑ is this ok? * 2000 cosmetics for grinding + offer half of'em (rare ones) in lootbox for in-game-cash.
    ↑ is this ok? * 2000 cosmetics for grinding + offer half of'em (rare ones) in lootbox for in-game-cash & real-world-cash.
    ↑ Why isn't this ok? Are you having hard time playing with others or progress alone? Is it a crime? All cooperate === evil? laughable.
    All games with lootbox === evil? laughable.
    All gun powder usage === evil? laughable.
    All atomic nucleus usage === evil? laughable.
    It's all case by case.
  • tbh, if I was just a regular gamer like I was 10 years ago, I'd prob be agreeing with you / building my rig. ----------------------
    Why do you think Japanese pop out much lesser games the last 2 generations, lost their varieties? Why Nintendo is the only j-dev doing ok? Why Japanese console market's (also its world dominance) shrinks YoY? Why put surrounding Asia market their main focus when talking about globalization? Why porting Border Break to ps4 is somehow close to a miracle? Do you know what dev team's like inside BNEI? Do you know why Kojima left (to be exact, got deported) Konami?
    ---------------------- Till the day you can make sense from all these.
  • "Unlike you (and most of my colleagues), I happened to be a globalist."  That's hilarious because you don't even know I am. All you do is make big statements. You are trying to imply that you're some type of industry expert but you hardly ever prove a point bringing actual facts or links.  There are a lot of people like you on internet. I don't want to discuss tha person but the points. And your comments don't have any that can be taken seriously. I posted my view on this. I posted links videos and proof to back it up. If your way of debating is asking strange questions and posting "laughable". Then it's really no use replying me. 
  • Take this for example.
    All cooperate === evil? false;
    All games with lootbox === evil? false;
    All gun powder usage === evil? false;
    All atomic nucleus usage === evil? false;
    No room for explaination.
  • What is your point? being "evil" or not is subjective. Your questions or conditional expressions don't make sense.
  • All games with lootbox === greed, bad, whatever word you wanna put here.
    game with lootbox is fine in many cases. EA blow it that's all, but still people still buy BF2, it still earns.
  • Please stop with your bs. Why are you talking about "All games"? I'm talking of full price games that uses free2play economics. FREE to play games should be FREE.  But again it's an opinion. If you want to pay 100 bucks to be able to pay games that ask more moeny then that's your choice. ofc you're just here to defend MS so I don't think you understand when I actually talking about gaming...
  • > I'm talking of full price games that uses free2play economics.
    > FREE to play games should be FREE.
    Selling extra stuff in the game abs equal to f2p? Grow up already... Are you really a programmer? Many of those games (e.g. AC-O, Midlle Earth) that feature micro transaction affect no progression.
    A f2p mobile game will normally prevent users to access end-game-content if they don't pay / grind.
  • Whilst I am not a fan of microtransactions, at the very least it should remove RNG from the equation. That's my biggest problem with modern gaming; if you buy something with real or in-game money, you should get that thing, not a chance of getting it.
  • Exactly. They wouldn't be dropping random items if they didn't think that it would mean more money for them. They're counting on people spending multiple times to get the items they want.
  • This. What 'gift shop' takes your money then gives you a random gift? Idiots.
  • I wouldn't say loot boxes are like the rollercoastet's gift shop. It's more like visiting a sex store buying a toy you wanted for your partner, and then having some dude in a trench coat outside the store trying to sell you a box of used dildos.
  • Of course Ubisoft is defending Loot-boxes, they are making a fortune on them.
  • The gift shop analogy doesn't work, it's more like a raffle. Unless I suppose people from ubisoft responsible for these micro transactions go into every shop and go "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" when shopping 😶. Well that removes rainbow six out of games to buy list and into buy if seen at £1 pre-owned list. I have no qualms about Micro transactions in a free to play game but in a full paid game where the bulk of an expansion pack is locked behind a micro transaction wall? Nope, instant boycott. They could have just made a store and put the items in it. If the gamers want to play for the items (at reasonable game credit prices - not something like 10,000 game credits when you get 10 per match for example) they can or buy it for real world money if they want to. Therefore it enables people to have choices as well as buying what they want. That is how a "gift shop" works lol... Smh. If it was like that, I wouldn't have minded much but given the flawed logic to explain such an appalling decision? Instant removal from games to buy list at prices more than £1.
  • So $150 to guarantee the whole Barbie doll dress up set for your digital warriors? Yeah...not greedy at all.
  • It is cosmetics cos you can buy ALL of it with in game money. Itll take a long time but you can, everyone against these types of loot crates are just so tempted to spend money so you hate on it.
  • And why exactly do you love it? They are tempting gamers. You said it yourself. There are frustrating free2play type grinding gameplay just to tempt gamers into spending more money.
    I'm sorry this is unacceptable for a full price game.
    No excuse. Doesn't matter who is doing it. I'm against this not because I can't buy some dumb digital items but because that's the focus of these AAA publishers. The focus is no longer about making quality games that sells well. It's about games as a service. Apply the free to play model for full price games while still having multiple versions, DLCs, get the game late if you don't pay, sponsored DLC's,...