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Ubisoft has confirmed the postponement of the Rainbow Six Invitational 2021. The event was scheduled to kick-off on February 9 but has been postponed indefinitely because of the recent closing of the French borders.
Earlier in the week, there were speculations regarding the postponement or outright canceling of the annual event. The main determinant of the outcome of the status of the event is the recent policies being implemented by France. Ubisoft moved the event venue to France late last year, which now seems like a bad decision from recent events. France’s ban on all non-essential travel from non-EU countries will pose a major setback to proceedings. Of the 20 invited teams, 12 will be affected by this new policy and will be unable to come into France to partake in the event.
Reason for the Failed Attempt of Continuing the Event
Efforts have been made by Ubisoft to make sure the events happen. They have been in constant communication with the health and safety agency, the medical assistance agency, and the French government. However, the announcement by Ubisoft pointed out the despite its efforts, its plans have fallen short. The purpose of the collaboration with these agencies was to develop a controlled, safe, and competitive offline environment. But, an agreement was not reached.
There is a new covid-19 variant and France is trying as much as possible to protect the lives of its citizens. Since the beginning of the pandemic, France remains one of the countries that was hit the hardest by the effects of the virus. Reports show that France has the sixth-highest number of cases in the world (3.2 million). It is also recording a two-month high on a seven-day moving average with 20,515 average daily new cases. Understandably, they are taking strict measures to curb the spread of the virus and avoid further casualties.
The postponement of the event has left members of the Rainbow Six community feeling sad. It is Rainbow Six Siege’s biggest event, which promised something different for this year. The format was changed and differed from what was last year. The teams were split into two groups instead of four. Also, 20 teams were invited, which meant the inclusion of four more teams into the fold.
Ubisoft was committed to making it a LAN event and is still hopeful that it is possible. However, in today’s world, pulling off a LAN event will prove very difficult, and the organizers have learned this the hard way. According to Ubisoft, they are now focused on re-evaluating their moves and looking for alternative options. The reason for them being adamant about the LAN event is because they want to embody the concept of a “truly international competition”. They have stressed that it can only be achieved if all teams are present in the same physical location.
The invited teams are being consulted on what might be a feasible way forward in terms of making sure the Invitational happens. Some leagues are about to kick-off, and it will be a problem if that happens. One such league is the North American League that is scheduled to start on March 22. Whatever decision that will be made, needs to happen fast if the Invitational is still supposed to happen before the start of the regional leagues.