This month some documents were leaked regarding what was previously known as Rainbow Six Quarantine. The game was meant to be a spin-off from the core Rainbow Six franchise. Now it seems like the game is actually called Rainbow Six Parasite, and a full reveal is coming sooner than you think. In this guide, we’ll cover everything that’s known about the game to date. Including details from the in-game event in Rainbow Six Siege.
What is Rainbow Six Parasite?
Rainbow Six Parasite is an internal name for what was previously revealed as Rainbow Six Quarantine. However, Ubisoft has confirmed that this is merely a placeholder name, and will update fans in due course.
Regardless of the name, the game’s concept seems to remain the same. This will be a three-player co-op experience similar to World War Z. Players are tasked with entering a hospitable area that’s been overrun with some sort of contagion. Whatever the contagion is, it’s caused enemies to appear all around the location.
Players need to battle through these enemies, solve puzzles or complete objectives, and then exit successfully. This follows the tried and tested formula for these types of games, and should please any fans of titles such as Left 4 Dead.
Where Did This Information Come From?
As first reported by MP1ST, information about this game was leaked thanks to it being uploaded to the PlayStation Network. The version that was uploaded was 1.01, indicating that a post-upload patch had also been included. This probably fixed some bugs that had been found in the code in the time between completing development and uploading the game.
An image for the PS4 dashboard was also uncovered. This image contains reference to Rainbow Six Parasite, so it’s almost certainly a placeholder. However, it does show off a couple of things that link it to Rainbow Six Siege.
The image depicts a black substance that was part of an in-game event in Rainbow Six Siege three years ago. The event put players into teams of three and tasked them with taking out enemies in an infected hotspot. They then had to solve puzzles and exit without dying.
This matches up with what the original concept for Rainbow Six Parasite was. I believe that the in-game event was a teaser, and went on to inspire a full game.
An image of the PS Vita, which seemed like it could be used for remote support at one point, has also been uncovered. Whether remote play makes it into the final release is anyone’s guess.
Where Did This Game Come From?
As I mentioned above, Rainbow Six Parasite is the result of an experiment from Rainbow Six Siege. In 2018, an event called Outbreak. The event saw an alien virus hit Earth and cause a localized infection in a small American town.
The mode was a three-player co-op experience that players enjoyed for about one month. Then the mode disappeared. This is what happens in Rainbow Six Siege though. Each season has an event, and after that event is over, it generally never returns. (https://www.disabilityhelpcenter.org/)
It looks like Ubisoft saw enough traction with the event, probably because of the similarities to Left 4 Dead, to make it into a full game though. That’s why now, three years later, we’re getting much closer to its release.
What is Rainbow Six Quarantine?
Rainbow Six Quarantine was the first confirmed name for this spin-off release in the Rainbow Six universe. At E3 2019, Ubisoft revealed a teaser trailer for the game. Until now though, nothing has been heard apart from these leaks.
The pitch for Rainbow Six Quarantine was exactly the same as the Outbreak event in Rainbow Six Siege, and Rainbow Six Parasite. All-in-all, they’re the same game.
The name of the game seems to have been shifted though. Originally, Ubisoft planned to launch Rainbow Six Quarantine in early 2020. However, early in the year, they delayed both it and Far Cry 6 indefinitely. At the time of writing, neither game has a firm release date.
We can easily track why the game was delayed and has a new name though. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the world. At the time the game was set to release, it may have seemed insensitive considering the number of people who were becoming infected and dying.
It’s possible that there’s a game mechanic that actively encourages players to kill more infected, which would definitely have been deemed too far at the time. You can tell the mental space the world was at by the fact that Animal Crossing: New Horizons became the game that everyone played, and not a shooter.
When Will Rainbow Six Parasite Release?
At the time of writing, we have no details on when Ubisoft will release this game. However, we can make some educated guesses as to when we’ll see a reveal and a launch.
Given that the game has already been uploaded to the PlayStation Network, it looks to me like it will be revealed and launched on the same day. This is what Respawn Entertainment did with Apex Legends, and that game has generated a huge amount of income since.
This is further backed up by the fact that the version of the game that was uploaded is 1.01, not 1.00. This suggests that Ubisoft is already working on bug fixes and changes. That would only be happening if they were getting ready for a launch.
Thirdly, the game was set to launch in early 2020, and delaying it to early 2021 would make sense. Clearly, Ubisoft believes that the game will benefit from the Q1 release slate, so they’re sticking to it in another year. This will also ensure that the initial sales and income are part of their revenue for the current financial year.
Will Rainbow Six Parasite Link With Rainbow Six Siege?
The original Rainbow Six Siege Outbreak event was a part of the Siege universe. Operators from Siege were the characters that players took on in the game mode.
I think that Operators from Rainbow Six Siege will appear in Rainbow Six Parasite, but the games won’t have progression linked between them. That will be firmly locked within each game’s ecosystem.
However, I do think that Ubisoft will use the formula they’ve developed for Rainbow Six Siege in Rainbow Six Parasite. For example, Siege gets four seasons every year, and a year pass. This is probably what Parasite will have when it launches.
Whether Parasite is a premium release or free-to-play remains to be seen. It would make sense to have it as a free-to-play title and have it compete with the likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends. This would also make it far more appealing to fans outside of the Rainbow Six sphere.
We’ll keep track of what happens and produce more guides on everything we know as a reveal comes.