Ubisoft has announced – on the day that the patch was due – that the Y8S4 update will be delayed. This information was shared at the exact moment players were expecting to install the update and get neck-deep in the new content the patch was supposed to bring. Not only that but further complications surfaced when the update rolled out unexpectedly on Xbox platforms despite Ubisoft’s best attempts to keep it contained to a test environment.

This was of course pulled back and the Xbox version of Rainbow Six Siege was flipped back to where it should be. However, fans are now angry at Ubisoft for giving almost no warning about the delay, and in the update that the firm did provide, there’s no estimated arrival time or date for the Y8S4 update whatsoever. Players left waiting for Operation Deep Freeze, along with its new map, Operator, and changes will now be left out in the cold until further information is provided.

Why Was Y8S4 Delayed by Ubisoft?

It wasn’t necessarily stressed why it was delayed, other than:

‘We have decided to postpone the release of Rainbow Six Siege’s Year 8 Season 4, Operation Deep Freeze, for further testing to ensure hte best possible experience for players. We’ll share details on the new date as soon as we can.’

From that, we can determine that it won’t be an easy fix – ‘a new date’ suggests a time in the future. How long that’ll be is anyone’s guess, but we do have an educated method in which to make that assumption. Following that announcement, Ubisoft revealed that the test servers for Y8S4 will be extended, running from today, November 29, to December 5. That’s likely the earliest date that Y8S4 will go live, which marks a considerable delay indeed for the update.

Here’s what Ubisoft had to say about the confusing situation in which the update accidentally leaked onto Xbox platforms:

Immediately, fans took to the airwaves to demand compensation in the form of R6 credits or free cosmetics packs. It’s highly unlikely that Ubisoft will give out anything to make up for the sizeable delay, even though the firm has had several months to get the update in working order.

What’s Coming in Y8S4?

Operation Deep Freeze, as it’s otherwise known, brings players a new Operator – ‘Tubarao’ – who boasts an extremely overpowered ability that’ll likely make him a favourite of anyone controlling him. There’s a new map – Lair – and a stack of changes coming to the platform, which is almost ten years old. There will be a new playlist that replaces THunt, a peer-to-peer marketplace, and various stability and accessibility changes and amendments.

It’ll all drop whenever Ubisoft wants to release the content.

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