Shroud blasts Rainbow Six’s realism for “ruining competitive integrity”

Michael ‘shroud’ Grzeseik has criticized Ubisoft tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege for leaning into realism too much, saying some of the game’s “unnecessary features” add up to “ruin competitive integrity.”

Rainbow Six: Siege is one of the most complex tactical shooters on the market. Its realistic aspects ⁠— like one-shot headshots, reload mechanics, and real world settings ⁠— make it unique.

However, while these things have some players claiming Siege is the ultimate competitive game, FPS veteran shroud disagrees.

Shroud criticized Ubisoft for over-complicating the game by adding “unnecessary features” that detracted from the game’s competitive experience. While things like one-shot headshots are a nice touch, quirks with reload mechanics aren’t.

“Rainbow Six Siege strives itself to be a competitive tactical shooter, but then they do so many little things that are so unnecessary that people don’t notice or care for except for just ruining competitive integrity,” he said.

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“If you reload on zero bullets, or one bullet, the reload time is different. Yes, I get it, I know why, real gun, bullet in the chamber –  It’s a competitive game. The reload time of a weapon should be the exact same, no matter the situation.

“The difference in reload time…creates an inconsistency in crucial moments. It’s an unnecessary feature. The features like that – they don’t have a purpose. They’re just there because somebody in the company [thought it should be].”

He also took aim at the low health mechanic of muffling audio and dimming visuals. While it boosts realism, it puts players on an uneven battlefield, and he doesn’t like it.

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“A lot of shooters have this stupid mechanic…when you’re low on HP, your audio starts to muffle, your screen starts to dim, I hate it. I get why they have it, but I hate it.”

While Siege wasn’t the only game in his sights ⁠— with the streamer making reference to Call of Duty as well ⁠— he said that given Rainbow Six is billed as competitive, it shouldn’t have features that detract from that experience.

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“That’s what confuses me about game development, when you’re trying to make something competitive, and then add a tiny little detail like that,” he said.

Given how ingrained these features are in Siege, it’ll be hard for Ubisoft to turn around and take them out.

However, with Year 5 Season 2 around the corner, there’s hope yet for players who might want a more competitive experience.