Ubisoft has said that Rainbow Six Siege will be available for both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 from launch.
Word comes from game director Leroy Athanassof in an interview with Windows Central:
“What I can tell you is that we are going to be on [the consoles] from launch. When they will release the consoles; but it’s up to them to agree that. For Siege, our target is to be available right at launch.”
That’s not the good news, though. The good news is that when the Series X and PS5 launch, Rainbow Six Siege will support cross-generational multiplayer. That means that certain players – the ones that don’t upgrade to next-gen systems at launch – won’t be alienated from the rest of their friends that do.
Athanassof also suggested that Ubisoft is more than willing to support cross-platform multiplayer between PlayStation and Xbox but was quick to point out that it’s not in their hands. Cross-platform matchmaking is more about whether or not Sony and Microsoft can hash out a deal to make it happen. If it does happen, Ubisoft will be ready:
“We would love to be full cross-play – have Xbox players matchmaking against PlayStation players. We are ready to support that.”
With that in mind, I wouldn’t hold my breath on cross-platform multiplayer happening anytime soon. Eventually, it will happen, but it’s far from likely to happen when the Series X and PS5 launch. You should count your blessings and be happy that you’ll be able to play between old and new generation consoles at launch.