BY WEZLEY WRIGHT
Rainbow 6 Siege has finally found its momentum.
After a relatively slow first year for Siege with a 2017 Invitational that sported only five casters and no sponsors, the game has seemingly grown into one of the largest e-Sports around. This year’s invitational brought in almost 9 million views. However Siege could be looking at even more growth this year, following the games first big e-Sports moment.
That moment came from this year’s invitational hosted in Quebec last weekend. Set up for success the event was supporting 17 casters world wide, two large sponsors and a $500,000 prize pool. The real excitement came from Penta’s win over EG to take the title. In an intense overtime 2v1 clutch, Pengu managed to save his team’s diffuser and get a swift double kill, securing the cup and the prize pool
This last-second play had casters and fans on their feet in anticipation and will be a long-lasting memory for all those watching. This level of competition and play is what Siege was missing in the 2017 season to bring in viewers. With the 2018 invitational bringing in more fans, Ubisoft also plans to expand on the game. Ubisoft has announced that Seige will be here for another 10 years. With the continued release of co-op events they plan to release up to 100 operators and make the first 20 free, a big step from their pay to play model.
The last e-Sports game to receive a dedicated dev team and caster panel was League of Legends. A game that went on to become the largest E-Sport in the world. With the right focus and development Rainbow 6 Siege could see itself grow even more this year. However Ubisoft is know to be a company that falls short on their promises. With their other game For Honor still behind on dedicated servers after a promised Feb. 15 launch.
The next few years will prove if Rainbow 6 Siege will become the next League of Legends or StarCraft