To be frank, Ubisoft hasn’t done a lot to please their fans over the past little while. Be it avoiding concerns over the company’s “Digits” NFT line (a topic this site has chosen not to write about), or management not listening to suggestions from employees past and present on improving a toxic work environment a several of the French multinational’s studios, it’s interesting to see the Rainbow 6 Siege division take a hard stance on something requested by fans.
— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) February 22, 2022
Last Sunday, the team responsible for planning international events for Ubisoft‘s FPS esports title proposed an upcoming major LAN event in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city of Abu Dhabi. The announcement didn’t sit particularly well with a vocal contingent of fans who question the safety of an event taking place in a city and country that doesn’t have the best record regarding violation of human rights and limiting diversity.
A statement from the R6S team acknowledges that diversity, inclusion and acceptance are strong pillars of the game’s community. It also states the team was optimistic that they could provide a safe event based on six years of building out the MENA region, but it hears the concerns made by fans. Event organizers had been in talks with the UAE government, local event partners and members of the MENA region of R6S players.
It’s committing to finding a new region to host August’s Six Major. Naturally, this move is not sitting well with several players and personalities within the MENA region. Still, if there’s something Ubisoft has learned, it’s that you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to do things your way.
