Timing (Patreon)

So Ubisoft has finally released a new Rainbow Six game…

Not that you'd instantly guess that based on screenshots.

The latest entry Rainbow Six Extraction is built off of the well-received Outbreak mode in Rainbow Six Siege, which took the small scale destruction based PVP military shooter, and turned it into a linear co-op infection/zombie shooter.

It obviously had tons of effort poured into it, from the gorgeously rendered cutscenes that gave fans their first real peek to seeing these characters as people, unique enemy designs of various types in both gameplay and visuals, and a gameplay loop that while not revolutionary, wasn't the same Left 4 Dead formula we've grown accustomed to.

All for a mode that lasted a total of four weeks…

Sounds kind of stupid when you put it like that.

That's where Extraction comes in. Taking the concept, and realizing it bigger and better than it ever was, and…

I haven't played it yet.

Genuinely, while I can't say I was ever hyped for this game, I am actually curious to play it, just haven't gotten around to it, but based on what I've seen, it seems like a solid weekend romp with friends, and perhaps will grow into something more.

It's also a nice departure for Ubisoft. In recent years, they've invested into two types of games. Small Scale PVP, or Large Open Worlds. It's why there hasn't been a new Splinter Cell, or Prince of Persia, they couldn't easily fit into either category, not at least without major backlash.

Trackmania I wouldn’t really count as a departure for Ubisoft because not only is it by a studio they acquired years ago, that franchise, for as much as I love it, hasn't really changed its formula at all since its inception.

So Extraction is on paper a nice change of pace for the company.

So why did I title this article "timing"? Well, because I think Extraction is the example of a game which has come at a time when I think the Tom Clancy brand is calling for the exact opposite of what it's doing.

The brand has become increasingly meaningless as time's progressed, starting with Splinter Cell allowing Sam Fisher to survive a couple rounds, to removing planning stages in Rainbow Six 3 for Xbox, and adding regenerating health in Rainbow Six Vegas, all those now seem like a documentary compared to the likes of The Division, Xdefiant, and now Extraction.

Not to mention that while a co-op infection game might be a unique entry for Ubisoft, it's not unique in the gaming space, especially during this brawl for someone to reclaim Left 4 Dead's throne. Back 4 Blood, World War Z, GTFO, The Anacrusis, Alien Fireteam Elite; there's no shortage of these games in premise right now.

And… I feel kinda bad, because that's in a way, unfair to Extraction.

While it's sometimes fun to dunk on Ubisoft and their infuriating lack of originality, they can be one of the companies that'll occasionally do things no other big publisher does. I mean… could you really imagine EA turning one of their premiere franchises into a game set in 10,000 BC?

Or releasing tons of DLC for a Melee Combat 3D Infantry Fighter Thing? I still don’t really know what genre to put For Honor in… and I kind of love that.

From what I've seen, Extraction, like Outbreak before it, does have a gameplay that it owns, and will be an enjoyable game for those who sink their teeth into it… but because of the state of Ubisoft, Tom Clancy, and the Genre it occupies, I don't think myself nor a lot of people will appreciate it's qualities long after it's faded.

This happens quite a lot in art, and I don't know if there really is a solution.

When it comes to how your game will be judged, no matter how much power you have as a developer, you can't control that.