The new creative director of Rainbow Six Siege says players who continue to stick around and play during Grand Theft Auto 6 will be rewarded for their loyalty.
Joshua Mills – who’s been at Ubisoft for 11 years and became creative director of Rainbow Six Siege earlier this year – recently spoke to The Game Business to discuss the future of the game, which is now 11 years old.
Mills was asked if the studio had contingency plans for the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which will almost certainly have a negative impact on player counts for other games across the industry.
He replied that the most important thing was for the studio to be calm when they see the numbers inevitably drop, and have faith that it won’t be permanent, with players returning after Grand Theft Auto 6’s launch period.
“We’ve got a massive launch coming with GTA,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter what genre you’re in – you’re going to take a hit when that drops. People are going to play it, and then they’ll come back. Heck, all of us are going to play it.
“It’s about being smart with your expectations so you can keep the team and HQ aligned. If the team sees player numbers dip, they can get anxious, but it’s generally temporary.”
Instead, Mills said the studio’s key focus should be on rewarding players who decide to stick around and keep playing Rainbow Six Siege despite the release of GTA 6.
“Our golden rule is to serve the players who stay like kings and queens” he said. “We don’t go on vacation just because a competitor is swelling the market. We double down and reward those spending their valuable time with us.”
When asked whether the studio would actually deliver new content during GTA 6’s launch window, Mills said that was the plan.
“Funnily enough, Season Four will drop right around that time,” he replied. “That shifts up the game in different ways. We actually have some unannounced surprises held back to make a splash.”
