Ubisoft has designated India as a special location in their global launch plan for Rainbow Six: Mobile. Indian players will be able to play the tactical shooter game before anyone else, with it going live within the country on February 19th at 7:30 PM IST and worldwide on February 23rd.
This four day head start is not just a bonus for local fans. It is part of a planned rollout where developers prepare servers and watch how real players interact with the game. The Mumbai area specifically is already set up for the mobile industry.
Why Ubisoft Chose India for the Early Launch
Image via Ubisoft.
Ubisoft’s choice of India to launch the game so early is primarily based on the large number of mobile gamers – over 500 million. It will allow for a pressure test to measure server stability before the global launch of Rainbow Six on 23 February.
Ubisoft has confirmed that it is preparing servers in Mumbai for the full launch of Rainbow Six. This means the early launch in India is primarily for infrastructure and not promotional reasons. There is also some unique potential with this early launch as the Rainbow Six franchise has not been as popular in India as the other popular genre of battle royale shooters.
This release becomes a fresh attempt to build a tactical shooter audience in the region. The gameplay is slower, rounds are tense, and teamwork matters far more than reflex shooting. Competitive players who prefer to play with strategy rather than chaos will finally find an alternative to the battle royale shooters on mobile.
What Players Can Expect at Launch
Image via Ubisoft.
Once servers open, players can download the game from the Google Play Store or App Store. The download size is expected to cross 2GB, followed by extra in game resource files. A stable WiFi connection is recommended during installation.
Players can expect classic Rainbow Six-style gameplay from day one. Matches will feature attackers breaching buildings and defenders setting traps for the attackers and defending positions at various angles to kill the attackers. Every Operator is assigned a unique gadget, and coordination of Operators will often decide who wins or loses a round. Going in alone and rushing in at the enemy typically will not work.
Indian Players will have the advantage of learning the maps and how various Operators function before the worldwide Matchmaking Queue fills up with play-testers. However, there is no early start date for ranked matchmaking. It ensures that all players have an equal opportunity to progress in the Ranked system.
Ubisoft will be doing a lot of work to ensure the servers are functioning correctly during the days leading up to launch. If servers remain stable and players respond well to the slower tactical style, Rainbow Six Mobile could become the first large scale tactical FPS ecosystem on mobile in India rather than another run and gun shooter.
