Rainbow Six Siege Embraces Retro-Futurism in Limited-Time M.U.T.E. Protocol Event

Ubisoft replaces the Kevlar and camouflaged Operators with robots decked out in neon and chrome.

Starting on August 4th, Rainbow Six Siege players will be able to fight it out in the revamped 'Tower' map decorated with ehtereal clouds and shiny, retro-futuristic coat of paint. M.U.T.E. Protocol plays out similarly to the base game. Only now, both attackers and defenders can take advantage of the standard drones and cameras to move about the map with unprecedented mobility.

For example, the Attackers will be able to 'digitize' themselves into their R.C. drones and reemerge in a new location of their choosing instead of merely staying put once they exit the camera feed. Defenders, instead of just cycling through camera feeds, can use them to observe enemy positions and hop around the map to pull an unexpected flank or completely bypass an ambush.

The Operators Jackal, Lion, Ying, Kapkan, Mira, Mute, Oryx, and Vigil are the only ones who will automatically be given new robotic skins, which can be purchased for future play after the event ends on August 17th. Despite this, "most Operators, with a few exceptions," will be playable and take full advantage of the new movement system during M.U.T.E. Protocol's duration.

Players can own the new Operator skins and a special weapon skin by opening Collection Packs that can be purchased for 300 R6 Credits or 12,500 Renown. Players can also earn a free Collection Pack by completing a Special Event Challenge. For individual Operators, players can purchase their cosmetics as Bundles for 1680 R6 Credits a pop.

M.U.T.E. Protocol is yet another milestone in Rainbow Six Siege's continued live-service model. Ubisoft has managed to earn the favor of public opinion since the game's poor reception, and perceived lack of content during its early years. Now that the second season of Siege's fifth year is in full swing, expectations are high, and fans can only sit and wait to see what else Ubisoft has in store.

*Addendum: at the time of publishing it seems that Ubisoft have deactivated the event after numerous reports of players exploiting a glitch that not only makes them invisible but also basically unkillable. Ubisoft tweeted they are working on a fix and are extending the length of the event to compensate for the lost time.