Ubisoft cancels UAE Rainbow Six Siege major after community backlash

gamepur.com:

When Ubisoft announced that Rainbow Six Siege’s August 2022 major would be held in the United Arab Emirates, fans were concerned. The nation’s treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals was specifically named when a change.org petition went live. As that continues to amass nearly 15,000 signatures, Ubisoft has decided to change its plans.

The Rainbow Six Esports account announced the shift on Twitter, stating that “the safety and well-being of [an] event’s participants and staff is always [a] primary concern.” While Ubisoft did make plans with its internal teams and the UAE government to ensure those things, that doesn’t change the history of the region — or the points raised by the concerned community. As such, Ubisoft has “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.” Replies to the announcement suggest Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, and others as replacements, and there are several months for Ubisoft to name a new location.

In noncontroversial Siege news, we’ve now seen more of Operation Demon Veil, the first season of the game’s seventh year of new content. Azami the Defender is the first new Operator on deck — she’s the first of four more promised on the game’s 2022 roadmap. When she arrives in season one, she’ll be accompanied by a permanent Team Deathmatch mode, Attacker repicks, a new map, and more.