Ubisoft has revealed the new Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Esports Global Circuit, set to launch in March 2023. This new version of the global circuit will encompass 9 regions and will create more opportunities for high-stake international matches while offering up-and-coming teams and players a path to the top level of competition.
Starting in March 2023, the Rainbow Six Esports Global Circuit will be comprised of the following 9 regions: Europe, North America, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Hispanic Latin America, Asia, Oceania, and MENA.
The competitive season will run from March through the following February and will be structured as follows:
- March to May: Stage 1, concluded by an extended Six Major in May
- June to August: Off-Season
- September to November: Stage 2, concluded by an extended Six Major in November
- December to February: Off-Season
- February: Six Invitational
During each Stage, the 9 regions will run their independent regional programs in parallel. The pre-defined Off-Seasons, in addition to creating room for third-party tournaments, will give more time for teams to regroup, rest, and prepare for the next Stage or competition.
Supported by a revamped point system, the entire competitive season will be a race to score points to qualify for the Six Invitational, the pinnacle of the competitive year that gathers the 20 best teams every season. The winners will be crowned Rainbow Six Siege’s World Champions and will get to lift the coveted Sledge Hammer.
Ramping up at full speed towards the launch of Season 2023, Ubisoft is delighted to announce a historical multi-year partnership with BLAST across the entire Rainbow Six Esports Global Circuit*, from regional programs to international events. Working side-by-side with Ubisoft, BLAST will bring the best of its industry-leading technology, ‘fan-first’ production values, and extensive tournament organizer experience to create a circuit engaging for all members of the Siege community, whether fans, professional players and aspiring pros, organizations, talent or brands looking to join in.
“We are thrilled to be working with a partner that shares our vision for the future of entertainment and that can help us bring to life a new high-end esports circuit the Siege community can be excited and proud of. We cannot wait to showcase the full potential of our collaboration with BLAST”
François-Xavier Deniele, Vice-President, Esports and Competitive Gaming at Ubisoft.
Stage 1 & 2: Regional Programs
Gateway to qualify for the Six Major at the end of each Stage, the regional programs will embrace a hybrid competitive approach that combines both closed and open components.
Creating regular opportunities for up-and-coming players to compete against professionals is crucial for the long-term health and competitiveness of the scene. Therefore, each of the 9 regions will feature an open qualifier component where all teams can compete to grab a spot at the Six Major.
In parallel, certain regions will also run closed leagues where fans will be able to enjoy the top teams competing at the highest level of Siege Esports. Recognizing the efforts and investments that are required from organizations to grow and sustain high performing rosters, while offering exciting content for their fans, the closed leagues will contribute to creating programs where organizations can fully thrive.
Combined, the closed leagues and Six Major open qualifiers will together determine which teams qualify for the Six Major at the end of each stage.
Today, Ubisoft confirmed that the following regions will have closed leagues running in parallel with their open qualifiers:
- Europe: closed league with up to 10 teams.
- North America: closed league with up to 10 teams.
- Brazil: closed league with up to 10 teams.
- Japan: closed league with up to 10 teams.
- South Korea: closed league with up to 8 teams.
- Hispanic Latin America: closed league with up to 8 teams.
The regional programs in Asia, Oceania and MENA are being finetuned in collaboration with BLAST and more details will be shared soon.
“Together with Ubisoft, we have exciting plans to elevate and grow the Rainbow Six Siege esports scene and we look forward to leveraging the full extent of our esports expertise and first-class technology across broadcast, production and direct-to-consumer streaming, to create an ecosystem that the community can be proud of, and excited about. This is a historic partnership for BLAST, we are thrilled to be joining the Siege family and to show them what we have in store in the coming months”
Leo Matlock, Managing Director of Development, at BLAST.
Six Majors
With 9 regions represented in the event and a number of teams coming directly from regional qualifiers, the Six Major is being extended and will now feature an additional phase before the Group Stage and Playoffs. With this new format, the show promises diverse cross-regional matchups and exciting storylines.
*Except Japan
In-depth details about the 2023 Rainbow Six Esports Global Circuit can be found here: https://rainbow6.com/2023Reveal
