It was back at E3 2014 that Ubisoft revealed their newest upcoming IP, Rainbow Six: Siege. A heart-pumping demo was shown off for the world to see. It wasn’t until recently that Ubisoft revealed there would be a closed alpha for the PC version of the game, and details regarding the content in the alpha were finally revealed.
Hostage Rescue will be the mode players can jump into during the Rainbow Six: Siege closed alpha. They will also have 10 different Operators to choose from. Each of these will have a certain area of expertise that will help contribute to the team. A few examples Ubisoft listed were areas most focused on assault or defense.
Ubisoft said each Operator will come with their own “unique personality and specialty.” Players should expect a reasonable amount of customization come launch, but it’s unknown what type of flexibility players will have for the closed alpha. As expected, Ubisoft believes each of the Operators players can choose from will add a different dynamic to the overall gameplay, resulting in varied experiences across the board.
There will be two maps available with one of them being the already revealed House map, which people saw during the E3 2014 reveal. A new map was revealed for the PC closed alpha and it is called Presidential Plane. Ubisoft describes it as “one of the most iconic settings for a [counter-terrorism unit] operation, this presidential plane offers an exotic and unique siege experience, plunging you into one of the most confining and nerve wracking environments of modern terrorism. It’s claustrophobic, tense and constrained – involving limited breaching opportunities and sight lines.”
Outside of Hostage Rescue, it doesn’t look like there will be any other modes playable in the closed alpha. For those who don’t know, Hostage Rescue pits two teams of five against each other with a three or four minute time limit for each round. The objective is simple, for the team possessing the hostage, they must hold onto the person until the time runs out, while the other team must safely rescue the person. Killing the hostage is an instant lose for either side, but if you kill all of the players on the other team, your side wins.
Ubisoft has still yet to pin down a date for when Rainbow Six: Siege’s closed alpha will begin on PC. They should be announcing a date in the coming weeks.
