After a short teaser two weeks ago, Metal Gear’s Solid Snake has been officially announced as the next permanent operator for Rainbow Six Siege.
As the next winner of the Six Invitational is about to be crowned, Ubisoft took the time to lift the curtain on their next operator, none other than Solid Snake, voiced by David Hayter. You read that right, for the first time, Rainbow Six Siege is going beyond the Tom Clancy universe and bringing in a character not only from a different franchise, but a completely different publisher. Working closely with Konami, this Solid Snake brings a whole new style of infiltration to one of Ubisoft’s most popular titles ever.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has introduced unique characters in the past, with Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell most recently joining the game. But with this operator, Ubisoft wanted to do something special and worked closely with Konami for almost a year to bring it to life.
From what I’ve played so far, it is genuinely impressive. While it still feels very much like Siege, this is not a Metal Gear game, even though Solid Snake makes an appearance. It brings the core elements that make the character special into the gameplay and style players have come to expect from the title.
What’s most striking is that Sam Fisher and Solid Snake now exist in the same universe, a concept that once fueled countless schoolyard arguments. Now it is real and part of one of the biggest Tom Clancy titles of all time. Even the trailer Ubisoft released highlights this team-up and, as a fan of both franchises, I can say it hits all the right notes.
But what makes Solid Snake such a unique operator in a game that already offers plenty of choice? Ubisoft and Konami worked together to find a balance that makes Solid Snake a strong option for the attacking side. He plays much as fans would expect from the Metal Gear Solid games. Players can deploy a portable mini-map device to detect nearby enemies. It also alerts opponents when activated, which helps keep the mechanic balanced in actual gameplay.
As the Creative Director of Rainbow Six Siege, Joshua Mills explained, “Solid Snake is incredible. Just as a developer, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I can’t stress that enough. It’s beyond Snake as well. It’s the fact that we can have Snake and Sam together. It’s like the most nerdy dream possible, and it’s amazing.”
Solid Snake also brings with him stealth focused TACIT .45, a sidearm that provides a sight and a suppressor, making it the perfect companion when stealth is your main focus. He will also offer the F2 and the PRM90A2 for primary weapon choices. But as one more way to mix things up in battle, Solid Snake can use downed opposing team operators’ gear and pick up special caches when an enemy combatant drops upon death. This all makes Solid Snake one of the more interesting choices when you play. He is fast and impactful in a match, but can also be taken down quickly if you decide to just Leeroy Jenkins your way into a room. Snake is built for stealth, and when played that way, it is incredibly unique to Siege.
Mills goes on to explain, “As a player in the game and seeing how he fits in the Siege, I’m super excited about that because he kind of comes in as an in-game leader sort of operator. Amazing at getting intel, helping people get into the building, but then being essentially that infiltration specialist.”
That is not all: as a final send-off for the 2v2 mode of play, there will be a special Metal Gear Solid Dual Front event featuring iconic characters you know and love. Just in the trailer for the mode, Ubisoft showed off Solid Snake himself, Meryl Silverburgh, Cyborg Ninja, and of course, Revolver Ocelot. Little was said about how the mission will work when players actually dive in, but just seeing the classic characters we all know and love in a new way was fun, and I am hopeful that Ubisoft and Konami treat the characters with the care needed to make it more than a quick tie-in and bring something meaningful to Siege.
The collaboration required work from both Konami and Ubisoft to bring it to life. Not only did the teams need to get the green light to move forward, but they also had to work closely to ensure everything was authentic and true to the character of Solid Snake, and that it fit within the world of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.
Josha Mills explained how it all came together and how complex the process was, “There was passion on both sides. Konami was super excited. They saw the natural fit and how it could organically work within Siege. Then we were off to the races. They provided us with a tremendous amount of resources to build from and draw from. Of course, we’re nerds. We had tons of resources because we love the franchise, too. And then there was this obsession from all of us to get it right and serve the character justice.”
With this all launching during Season One in Year 11, it is easy to see why this is a massive announcement for Rainbow Six Siege and a great choice for an operator outside the Tom Clancy universe. Having played Snake, I am excited to see what Metal Gear fans and Siege players think of this new operator, and I am more curious than ever to see what Ubisoft bring to this game next.
