The Importance of the Rainbow Six Esports Ecosystem for Ubisoft

GamesMarkt: Looking at the current state of the Rainbow Six esports ecosystem, how would you summarise its position in 2025?

Sébastien Ratto: "For 2025, the main focus of the ecosystem was to streamline things a little over the regions. If we look at the professional scene in 2024, there were nine different regions. For 2025, we focused on four regions within the ecosystem. These are Europe & MENA, APAC, North America, and LATAM. These are what we call our regional Rainbow Six Esports leagues. They represent the top of the ecosystem pyramid, and each year we continue to focus on streamlining and developing the scene together with our partners and organizations."

"We also continue to focus on the grassroots scene at semi-professional or amateur level. This is a key element of our esports; it's not only the professional players who are here and making the show. It's also about all of you who are players and may want to become professionals. We're working hard to provide as many opportunities as possible for all types of players."

The Rainbow Six Invitational (the World Championship) takes place in Paris from 2nd to 15th February. To coincide with this, a local Six Invitational 2026 Community Event, organised by the Ubisoft Düsseldorf team, takes place on 7 February 2026. However, tickets have already sold out.

GamesMarkt: How would you describe the German Rainbow Six fanbase?

Sébastien Ratto: "It's a passionate one. I could tell just by looking at the crowd at the R6 Major in Munich. I mean, there weren't any German players in the tournament, yet many German fans were still there. They've been passionate about Siege since the beginning, and now we're celebrating ten years of Siege with the German community. As I mentioned, grassroots offers us many opportunities to hold a high-quality tournament in Germany. At the time, we were also holding a tournament at gamescom. Gamescom is an additional opportunity that we can take advantage of. So the German community is one of the key communities that we have in Europe."

"We also hold combined tournaments that bridge the gap between amateur and national leagues and top-tier professional play. As an example, we held a sold-out final at our Ubisoft office in Düsseldorf. We want to create smaller events like this, which give fans , the developers, and the players a chance to interact with us in a unique location."

GamesMarkt: In what ways are you trying to strengthen esports at a grassroots level?

Sébastien Ratto: "In Germany, for instance, we are trying to identify partners who might be interested in producing online events. We provide a set of tools they can use, and such partners can apply for a license to operate tournaments with our game. Once they have applied and expressed interest in organizing a Rainbow Six tournament, our team in Germany will support the organizer with communication, prize pools or promotional merchandise. We will do anything we can to help them give these events visibility and support."

"We try to create as many opportunities as possible to help develop these types of events. When we run an online initiative with a more global or regional focus, we aim to organize mini‑tournaments around it. Ultimately, it's all about providing grassroots support for everyone."

GamesMarkt: When it comes to major events such as the recent R6 Major in Munich, how do you find the right venue?

Sébastien Ratto: "Every year, we screen possible locations in the world where we could do this, based on many criteria - mainly the size of the community and the status of the game, i.e. the number of people who have the game installed. Our primary objective is to get closer to the community, and Germany is one of the top countries in this respect. We have a strong fan base and high levels of game activity. That's why we had chosen Munich as the location for the 2025 European major. It's been a while since we held an event in Germany, and it’s a great place to be. The last time in Germany was in Berlin a couple of years ago. That's how our process works: when we plan the event, we try to figure out where it makes sense from the perspective of the players and the community."

GamesMarkt: How would you increase the popularity of esports among mainstream audiences?

Sébastien Ratto: "I don't think it's only a challenge for Ubisoft. I think it's a challenge for any publisher involved in esports. We are always trying to bridge the gap between mainstream audiences and those who are perhaps more interested in traditional sports and esports. It would be great if there were a magic formula. I would say that, when it comes to esports, we are trying to focus on accessibility. But how can we make that kind of show more accessible? You also need to consider the game itself. Rainbow Six is a difficult game, it's been around for 10 years. So that's another question to consider. How do you get more people interested in the game? We are both on this board to try to attract a new type of audience that might be more casual. The focus is on how we are going to build the show to interest new people and make them want to play the game, including some of the attendees who are not even Rainbow Six players."

"The same goes for all the tournaments. We provide every possible opportunity for the local community to test the game. I guess all these initiatives will help. Eventually, working with first parties interested in sports could help make them more mainstream, like the Esports National Cup. Maybe one day the Olympics will be something too. Once this happens, it may become globally established."

GamesMarkt: How important is it to create an engaging and entertaining framework - such as shows, guests, or showmatches - to make esports events more accessible and appealing to a mainstream audience?

Sébastien Ratto: "Creating an engaging framework around our competitions is extremely important. Esports today isn't only about the match itself, it's about the full experience we deliver to the audience. When we build shows, bring in guests, or create showmatches, we're essentially lowering the barrier of entry for people who might not know Rainbow Six deeply but enjoy good entertainment."

"Our goal is always twofold: give our core community something they can be proud of, and at the same time make the product more accessible for a broader, mainstream audience. When these elements are well‑integrated, they help tell the story of the competition, highlight the personalities involved, and create moments that people want to share."

GamesMarkt: How important is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for Rainbow Six esports?

Sébastien Ratto: "I think it's a key region as well because of our long-standing relationship with the EWC. R6 is a part of EWC every year, and we have a strong bond with the Saudi e-league. In 2025, we integrated the Saudi league into our European Rainbow Six ecosystem, as a semi‑professional league."

"We have leagues in different regions: France, Spain and Italy, for example, which we call South Europe. We also have leagues in Central Europe (Germany, Benelux, Poland, Austria and Switzerland) and in the Nordic countries. All of these leagues compete to be crowned the best Tier Two team, and we now also integrated the Saudi league into this ecosystem. They send their best team to compete in the final against the best team in Europe. So it's a key region. We are developing it more each year. Right now, we're focusing on Tier Two, and I guess we're going to focus more on the professional scene in that region."

GamesMarkt: What impact did the launch of Rainbow Six X in June 2025 have on the esports scene?

Sébastien Ratto: "It has definitely had an impact because, above all, esports is a tool for showcasing the game. It enables us to showcase the game in the best possible way at the highest competitive level. So, when you have a new product, you have to adapt the way you broadcast the show. New features may force you to reconsider some elements. And even if the game changes a lot, our role doesn't change. We're still here to produce a great show and a great competition. It's more than that: It's about what resources we are going to use to showcase the game better. It's one of the tools that helps us engage our community."

GamesMarkt: Just how important is the Rainbow Six Siege esports scene for Ubisoft as a leading global games publisher?

Sébastien Ratto: "It's key. I think it's a strategic department for us. I mean, if you look at all the major competitive games in the industry, such as League of Legends, Valorant and Counter-Strike, they all have an esports presence. As I mentioned, esports is one of the key ingredients, but we have to try to keep developing engagement and excitement around Rainbow Six Siege. Our involvement has spanned ten years. From a company point of view, esports is one of our key departments, but we have to keep pushing forward. Rainbow Six Siege is Ubisoft's leading title. However, we're also exploring different opportunities for other games in our portfolio."

GamesMarkt: What support does Ubisoft provide to esports teams?

Sébastien Ratto: "On our side, we have the R6 Share program. It was the first of it’s kind. The basis of the program is to reach a mutual agreement that will benefit the organizations and Ubisoft financially. This is the cornerstone of our partnership. We help them to become more financially sustainable. We also have a different type of programs for professional gaming organizations. We have a new affiliate status where everyone shares part of the financial overdue innovation in a pool. This pool will be shared equally among all types of affiliates. We are trying to find new ways to make this ecosystem sustainable for both us and our partners."

"With the Six Invitational in Paris just around the corner, we're excited to welcome fans to tune in to our World Championship, running from February 2nd to February 15th on our Rainbow Six channels."