It has been announced through social media channels that Fnatic will be dropping its APAC Rainbow Six roster ahead of the 2024 season. This effectively removes the organisation from the Rainbow Six esports ecosystem for the time being, until another squad is signed. It was stressed by the organisation that it might look to enter a new region, having been focused on APAC and Oceania since entering the scene in 2018.

On Twitter, Fnatic mentioned it had fallen short of providing a high standard of performance and value to its fans in the Rainbow Six space. In the last couple of years, the almost entirely Japanese squad has failed to gain much traction, not winning anything major and failing to qualify for the Six Invitational since 2020. With half a million dollars in winnings over five years, it has finally become apparent that the organisation needs to improve in the Rainbow Six scene.

Another Hit

Image Credit: Fnatic

While Fnatic isn’t the most prolific organisation in Rainbow Six esports, it’s still a blow that the brand has decided to step back for the time being. Earlier this year, FURIA revealed it would be quitting Rainbow Six esports, just days after TSM also announced its withdrawal. That was mere months after teams like Empire and Invictus also revealed that they would be leaving Rainbow Six Siege’s ecosystem. It has been a rocky year for the game, that’s for sure.

On Twitter, Fnatic shared a heartfelt message to its fans, announcing the (assumedly temporary) departure:

At this point, it’s an open playing field for Fnatic. It could acquire a squad in any region, attempting to break back into the international circuit in earnest. Of course, it could also mean a complete withdrawal, following in the footsteps of other organisations.

Is Rainbow Six Doing Okay?

Rainbow Six still has plenty of players, even if the esports scene appears to be wavering a little. There’s a dip in viewership at the moment, which has some organisations feeling threatened. For instance, the recent BLAST R6 Major in Atlanta only secured around 80,000 peak viewers, and before that, the Copenhagen Major picked up a peak viewer count of around 118,000. On all platforms, the player base looks strong, and Ubisoft is keeping the game pumped full of updates.

There are still causes for concern there, though. Most recently, Ubisoft had to delay the release of the new season, Operation Deep Freeze, on the day it was due to launch. It’s things like that that are making the fan base itchy, but as the game approaches its tenth anniversary, it remains relatively consistent. How long that’ll last is anyone’s guess.

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