Rainbow Six November 2020 Major goes online: format, dates, more
UbisoftUbisoft have pulled the plug on the Rainbow Six: Siege November 2020 Major LAN after months of limbo. The tournament will move into a regional online format, similar to the August major. However, the move has put a question mark over the Six Invitational in February.
The third big event for Rainbow Six esports in 2020 has now officially been canceled, at least in-person. Ubisoft announced on September 8 that the November 2020 major will no longer be taking place on LAN, and will instead be replaced by regional online events.
“Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will continue with a regional format with one online Major per region,” the devs said in a blog post.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the November #SixMajor will continue with a regional format with one online Major per region (North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific), that was introduced in August.
— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) September 8, 2020
“We know that the community is as eager as we are to watch global competitions and faceoffs between teams from different regions, however the health and well-being of our teams, developers, players, partners and fans remains our number one priority.”
The November 2020 major, which was set to be held in Europe, was going to be the final event teams could catapult off to qualify for the Six Invitational. Instead, a return to online play is planned.
The format is similar to the Six August Major, which was canceled under similar circumstances. Each of the four major regions will get their own mini majors, with teams qualifying through their respective regional events.
At least $500,000 of prize money is up for grabs globally — $125,000 per region. Fans will also be able to contribute to the prize pool through a Operator bundle, set to be released closer to the event.
The November Major will now take place across the whole month, with competition running from October 30 to November 29. Exact dates for each region are below.
- Latin America: October 30 – November 1st
- Europe: November 6 – 8
- North America: November 13 -15
- Asia-Pacific: November 25 – 29
João Ferreira for UbisoftSix Invitational 2021 cancellation fears grow
The cancellation of the Six November Major doesn’t spell good news for the Six Invitational in 2021. With the biggest event on the calendar set for five months from now, it’s unlikely the global situation will change enough to accommodate it.
Ubisoft are also hesitant to run it in a bubble format — like the League of Legends 2020 World Championship.
Theoretically, yes.
Technically, we would need to fly 16 teams from all over the world to a single location. Many borders are closed and a 14-day quarantine rule is in place for most countries. There is also the chance to catch Covid during transit. The risk is too high. https://t.co/E2lxuLOzW6
— Wei Yue (@Wei2Yue) September 8, 2020
“We would need to fly 16 teams from all over the world to a single location. Many borders are closed and a 14-day quarantine rule is in place for most countries. There is also the chance to [get sick] during transit. The risk is too high,” esports director Wei Yue said on Twitter after the November Major cancellation.
Ubisoft will reveal more information about the Six Invitational 2021 closer to its proposed date in February.