Rainbow Six: Siege, begins the era of Alexander Karpazi, the new Creative Director

Rainbow Six

The path taken by Rainbow Six: Siege was not linear, quite the contrary. In fact, Ubisoft's tactical shooter has not always been a success and above all it has found itself faced with the need to always keep its gameplay interesting and fresh, so as to preserve, if not increase its market shares.

Released in December 2015, over all these years Rainbow Six: Siege has constantly expanded and perfected, while keeping its heart unchanged. We have witnessed zombie-based experiments that have given rise to a spin-off of the caliber of Rainbow Six: Extraction (we have reviewed it in these days), welcomed new operators and seen the development of a capillary and prepared competitive scene.

If from the outside the Ubisoft project may seem monolithic, in reality inside there are many figures who are trying to leave their mark on the evolution of R6S. For the past two years Rainbow Six: Siege has been the game of Leroy Athanassoff, the Creative Director leading the project. In recent weeks, however, Athanassoff has announced that he wants to leave his position.

Why? Who will take his place? Let's try to explain it to you in the special Rainbow Six: Siege, the era of Alexander Karpazi begins.

Leroy Athanassoff

Leroy Athanassoff Leroy Athanassoff was Creative Director of Rainbow Six: Siege after covering for two years the role of Game Director. He is a Ubisoft veteran: he joined the company to work on Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Watch Dogs 2. In May 2020, he took over from the original Creative Director, Xavier Marquis.

It will be, however, a consensual farewell. From the words of Athanassoff, in fact, no grudges can be read and indeed the veteran will continue to work within Ubisoft, on a project not yet announced.

"I wanted to let you know that, for personal reasons, I will be leaving my role as Creative Director of Siege to pursue other opportunities within Ubisoft. It is not a decision that I took lightly: I love this game and this community and I'm immensely proud of everything our team has accomplished together over the past two years, ”Athanassoff said on the game's blog. "But I'm sure it's the right choice, and in that I have the comfort of the team's full support. Don't worry, I won't disappear from circulation and I have the feeling that my adventure with this incredible game is far from over."

As it was in the past, in fact, the choice of creative director was made in the name of continuity.

Alexander Karpazis

Alexander Karpazis As we said at the beginning, Alexander Karpazis is the man who will take over from Athanassoff. Karpazis began work on Rainbow Six: Siege in 2017 and for the past two years he has been the game's Art Director. He is, therefore, a person who knows Ubisoft's game very well, having already stamped his mark on the creativity of the tactical shooter.

"Having worked with him for four years, I can attest not only to his skill and talent, but also his passion for Siege, ”said Athanassoff of Karpazis. "I felt firsthand the commitment he put into creating fun and engaging gameplay features that fans love." It is certainly a great presentation, which should reassure fans about the continuity of the project.

A project that will gradually change over time: "the fruits of Leroy's commitment will still be visible in future seasons, as the team and I prepare for one of the most ambitious years in Siege's history, "said Karpazis at the time of his official presentation.

What, then, will be the future of the series?

Continuity

The latest operator introduced in Rainbow Six: Siege Continuity will, of course, be the hottest word in the Ubisoft offices. Do not shred 6 years of success and throw away a rich and participatory community like that of Rainbow Six: Siege for a slight decline in numbers. A decline that, moreover, could be physiological, partly due to the hangover of 2020, partly because 6 years are an eternity in video games. They almost correspond to a cycle of consoles.

So with this rotation, in our opinion, Ubisoft is applying the famous saying of the Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa: "Everything must be changed so that nothing changes". The game and the team needed a little jolt to regain some creative propulsion and a willingness to take risks. In addition to making room for fresh forces, which bring about a sort of generational change.

Athanassoff has worked well, has consolidated the player base and has given structure and solidity to the game. working on new projects and was not fired. At the same time, however, there was a need for someone able to bring a new vision to the game, probably more creative. Let's expect, therefore, an even more refined character and map design and maybe even some new Extraction-style experimentation.

On the other hand Karpazis has promised to be working on one of the most ambitious years of R6S always: what do you think is in Siege's future?

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