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Ubisoft has confirmed that the 2021 Rainbow Six Invitational will proceed as LAN. This is the largest Rainbow Six tournament every year and will be held in late February 2021 despite the ongoing pandemic.
All esports organizations, for the better part of 2020, were prohibited from hosting offline events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some tournaments were canceled as a result of the pandemic, some postponed, while others moved to an online format. Even as everyone hopes things get better and get back to normal, Ubisoft will host the Six Invitational with no live audience.
It is perceived that the event will take a cue from the structure of Riot’s Worlds 2020. Here, the players and staff were first tested for Covid-19 before secured in a “bubble” so they could compete safely. Most eSports and sporting events have adopted the strategy ever since the ease of the lockdown. To ensure the safety of all competitors and staff, Six Invitational will be hosted with no live audience.
Rainbow Six teams have been forced to compete online since the Covid-19 quarantine measures swung into effect. The 2020 Six Invitational that went on in Montreal, Canada, in February was the last live international LAN to take place. Ubisoft is determined to host the event again in 2021, having international teams compete on LAN for the first time in months. The official statement reads, “We are thrilled to announce that the fifth edition of the Six Invitational will happen in late February 2021.”
Europe 2021
Europe is where the Six Invitational will hold. Twenty teams will represent the four competitive regions – Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and North America. Details on the exact date and location have not yet been released as it turns out Ubisoft is still sorting out the details.
Ubisoft has gone on to stress how “strict sanitary safety measures” will be put in place to preserve the health and safety of all players and members of staff. The absence of a live audience at the event is in a bid to adhere to the large gathering guidelines and a step at maintaining additional safety.
The prize pool remains undisclosed but will see twenty teams compete. The points ranking of these teams will determine the first sixteen teams, while regional qualifiers will take place to produce the remaining four teams that will compete. Twelve teams have already secured their positions at Six Invitational. Teams like Liquid, Cloud 9, and SoloMid have already locked in their slots.
The regional open qualifiers are yet to be scheduled, but registration will open on the 2nd of December. Ubisoft has asked teams and fans to be patient as more information will be communicated soon.
Specifics on the safety practices that will be carried out by Ubisoft to guarantee the health of competitors and staff have not yet been disclosed. The organization has stated that more information on that front will be released in weeks to come.
In the recent announcement, Ubisoft also addressed some concerns regarding other scheduled competitions and their current status. All Regional Finals will continue as planned – online – due to the pandemic. Covid-19 case numbers are starting to increase in different parts of the world. It is only wise that competitions remain online for the foreseeable future. However, the Brazilian Division’s Grand Final will be an exception and will have a live event.
The first-ever Rainbow Six World Cup that was scheduled to hold in the summer of 2021 has been postponed to 2022 because the different measures against the pandemic by a large number of participating countries has made planning the event not feasible soon. The competition seeks to find which country is the best at Rainbow Six and which players will go home with the new World Championship title.