In an interview, Game Director Patrik Méthé commented on Rainbow Six Extraction. The discussion revolved around the tactical gameplay and why it won’t simply be enough to rush in with a gun in this cooperative shooter. MeinMMO summarizes the latest information for you.
What kind of game is this? The project was originally known as Rainbow Six: Quarantine. It was later possibly renamed due to the Corona pandemic and is now called Extraction.
Rainbow Six: Extraction is a cooperative shooter based on the PvE mode Outbreak from Rainbow Six Siege.
- It’s about a parasite that has broken out and is infecting everything. You as players are meant to prevent that.
- You proceed together and play various characters, called Operators, with special abilities.
- However, not much is known about the game modes and playable heroes yet.
It was also unclear whether the game would emphasize tactical approaches, as known from Rainbow Six Siege, or if it would take a more action-oriented route. Game Director Patrik Méthé has now commented on that.
You can already get a glimpse of the game in the first gameplay from E3 2021:
Weapons are not enough to win
That’s why Extraction will be a tactical game: According to Méthé, one of the core principles of the game is that “weapons are not enough” to win. “To be successful, one must scout properly, recognize threats and opportunities. You need to communicate with your teammates, use the right equipment at the right time, and importantly, assess when it’s time to advance and when it’s time to retreat.”
According to the Game Director, players from Rainbow Six Siege will feel at home when they try Extraction. Both games would be very similar in their mechanics. However, the experience will be different, as the areas will be significantly more dangerous. Players will have to face dangerous alien variants and navigate through the zones.
Especially the aliens are meant to necessitate tactical approaches and prevent mindless rushing: “There are a number of games in this genre that are a lot of fun, as they allow the player to thoughtlessly mow down hundreds of enemies per session.
Since we are in the Rainbow Six universe, it was crucial for us that our game rewards tactical approaches to be successful,” says Méthé. “If you go in with brute force, you won’t achieve much success, especially on higher difficulty levels.”
Punishments for leaving the group and other features
This element returns from Siege: Punishments for players who leave matches. In Extraction, there will also be consequences for players leaving the session.
Although it is a cooperative game without PvP, this can lead to the loss of game progress, matchmaking bans, and even the loss of an Operator. However, details about this punishment system are not yet available.
These are other known features: One of the core elements of the game is called “Sprawl” – a substance produced by the parasite that spreads across the map. Archæan move faster on the Sprawl and players slower. But players can destroy it by shooting at it.
There are also other tactical elements:
- There is a special flashlight called “React Light” that highlights enemies and weak points
- There are expected to be about 18 different Operators with unique abilities (according to an initial sneak peek of the selection)
- There are different enemy types with various abilities
- You can set up reinforcements for walls to block paths and restrict enemies
- In one level, there are so-called Sub Zones that become increasingly difficult and are separated by airlocks
- Walls will also be destructible and thus a tactical factor
When is the release of Rainbow Six Extraction? The cooperative shooter is set to release on September 16, 2021.
For which platforms is the release planned? The game will be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
So far, 9 Operators are known, which we have already introduced to you here: These are the playable characters of Rainbow Six: Extraction and what they can do
