Rainbow Six Siege's Outbreak

Rainbow Six Siege's Outbreak

Onboarding competitive players into co-op PvE

Outbreak was Siege's first limited-time event — a co-op PvE mode for a player base that had only ever known competitive 5v5. The UX challenge: make the mode feel distinct and exciting without confusing players or eroding trust in the core game.

Understanding what made PvE feel different from PvP

Audited the existing Siege UX system to identify what was mode-specific versus shared. Key friction: players needed to understand Outbreak's new objectives, enemy types, and co-op roles without a lengthy tutorial breaking the game's pacing.

A visual language for Siege's first special event

Created a distinct visual identity for Outbreak — set apart from the competitive game without breaking Siege's UI system. Designed all event-specific flows: matchmaking, loadout, progression, and onboarding, with a smooth return path to the core game.

The blueprint for Siege's live-service event system

Outbreak launched on time and set the template for all subsequent Siege special events. The event UX system became a repeatable pattern for introducing new modes to the competitive player base — reused across multiple future limited-time events.

limited-time event in Siege First
PvE onboarding New mode
event UX system Live service