Rainbow Six Major moved from UAE after fan complaints

Ubisoft has announced it’s moving the 2022 Stage 2 Major from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following resistance from the game’s community.

In a post on February 20, Ubisoft announced that the R6 Stage 2 Major would be taking place in the UAE in August 2022.

This sparked backlash from fans and others in the esports community, who called out the Middle Eastern nation’s legal position on LGBTQ+ people.

Since then, Ubisoft has announced they will be relocating the event.

Ubisoft hears complaints “loud and clear”

After saying that the event in Abu Dhabi would have been one “which anyone, of all gender identities, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, or other individual traits,” would have been welcomed, Ubisoft said they would be relocating the Major based on the feedback they had received.

“We hear loud and clear that members of the international Siege community question this choice,” the statement reads. “We have taken the decision to move the Six Major of August 2022 to another Rainbow Six Esports region, with the exact location yet to be determined.”

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While the Major was being moved away from MENA (Middle East & North Africa), Ubisoft still pledged to continue to support the growth of Siege esports in the region.

After the announcement, a lot of fans and players praised Ubisoft in the replies for the quick response to the community outrage. But there were also tweets from MENA fans who were disappointed their region would be missing out.

Where Ubisoft will end up holding the Stage 2 Major — which is set to take place in August 2022 — remains to be seen. For now, fans will have to wait to see whether it will be moved to another country in the Middle East, North Africa, or a different region entirely.