Rainbow Six Tactics, Ubisoft’s turn-based spin-off of its long-running tactical shooter franchise, is borrowing design lessons from Nintendo’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, according to the game’s director. Speaking about the project’s development, the director said the studio deliberately moved away from the “smoke and mirrors” approach that has defined past Rainbow Six games, and instead leaned on the turn-based structure of Mario + Rabbids to figure out how tactical combat should actually feel.
Key takeaways
- ✓Rainbow Six Tactics is Ubisoft's new turn-based spin-off of the Rainbow Six franchise
- ✓The game director says Ubisoft moved away from the 'smoke and mirrors' mechanics used in past Rainbow Six titles
- ✓Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle helped Ubisoft understand the metrics of tactical level design
- ✓Ubisoft borrowed the underlying DNA of Mario + Rabbids rather than copying its systems outright
- ✓No release date or launch window has been officially confirmed for Rainbow Six Tactics
That comment matters because it signals a genuine shift in how Ubisoft is approaching one of its most valuable franchises. Rainbow Six has built its reputation on real-time, high-stakes shootouts in Rainbow Six Siege, where split-second decisions and destructible environments create tension through unpredictability. A turn-based spin-off asks players to slow down, plan several moves ahead, and understand exactly what each action will do before committing to it. That is a very different design problem, and Ubisoft appears to have found an unlikely teacher in a Nintendo-published crossover game.
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Ubisoft moves away from the “smoke and mirrors” approach
The phrase “smoke and mirrors” is a pointed one. In many action games, including earlier Rainbow Six entries, outcomes can feel obscured by hidden probabilities, animation tricks, or systems that make an encounter look more dramatic than the actual mechanics driving it. The director’s comments suggest Ubisoft wanted Rainbow Six Tactics to avoid that entirely, favouring a system where players can see and trust the rules governing every decision.
That is a meaningful departure for a franchise historically built around tension and uncertainty. Turn-based tactics games live or die on fairness and clarity. If a player loses a unit, they need to understand why, not feel like the game hid the odds from them. Building that kind of transparency from the ground up, rather than retrofitting it onto an existing shooter template, appears to have pushed the team toward looking outside its own back catalogue for reference points.
What Mario + Rabbids taught Ubisoft about tactics
According to the director, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle helped the studio understand what could be described as “the metrics of tactics”, essentially the underlying numbers and spatial logic that make a turn-based encounter satisfying rather than fiddly. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, developed by Ubisoft Milan and released for Nintendo Switch, paired Nintendo’s Mushroom Kingdom characters with tactical, cover-based combat and was widely praised for making the genre approachable without dumbing it down.
Ubisoft did not simply copy that game’s mechanics. The director framed it as borrowing the “DNA” of Mario + Rabbids, meaning the studio studied how encounter spaces were built, how movement and line of sight interacted, and how difficulty was tuned so that players always had legible choices. Those same principles are now being applied to a much grittier, more grounded setting in Rainbow Six Tactics, where operators, gadgets, and destructible cover replace Rabbids in wacky costumes.
How Rainbow Six Tactics compares to what came before
Positioning a turn-based Rainbow Six game against its stablemates, and against the game that inspired parts of its design, helps explain why this shift is significant.
| Game | Combat style | Publisher | Design focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Six Siege | Real-time tactical shooter | Ubisoft | Split-second decisions, destructible environments |
| Rainbow Six Tactics | Turn-based tactics | Ubisoft | Transparent rules, planned engagements |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Turn-based tactics | Ubisoft / Nintendo | Accessible cover and movement systems |
The table highlights an interesting pattern: Ubisoft already had in-house experience building a beloved turn-based tactics game, it simply happened to star Nintendo characters rather than Rainbow Six operatives. Drawing on that experience for Rainbow Six Tactics is less a leap into unfamiliar territory and more a case of the publisher applying a proven internal playbook to a new setting and tone.
What it means for players and the wider tactics genre
For fans of the Rainbow Six franchise, this approach suggests Rainbow Six Tactics will prioritise readable, strategic combat over the reflex-driven tension of Siege. That could open the franchise up to players who enjoy planning and positioning but have never been drawn to its competitive shooter side. It also puts Rainbow Six Tactics in conversation with other turn-based tactics releases, a genre that has seen renewed interest thanks to titles inspired by Mario + Rabbids’ success.
There is no confirmed release date, platform list, or pricing information for Rainbow Six Tactics at this stage, and Ubisoft has not detailed a launch window. Until the publisher shares more concrete specifications, players should treat details beyond the director’s comments as early insight rather than a finished blueprint. Given Ubisoft’s willingness to experiment with its distribution approach, as seen with Ubisoft’s recent move to trial ditching its own launcher on Steam, it would not be surprising if Rainbow Six Tactics arrives with a similarly flexible release strategy.
The broader lesson is about design borrowing done well. Rather than chasing a trend, Ubisoft appears to have looked at its own back catalogue, including Nintendo’s published crossover title, and extracted principles that suit a completely different game. That mirrors how other developers have approached Switch-focused tactics projects, including another third-party tactical title heading to Switch 2, and how platform holders continue to shape expectations around physical and digital releases, as seen in Nintendo’s own approach to physical Switch releases.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rainbow Six Tactics?
Rainbow Six Tactics is a turn-based spin-off of Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six franchise, built around planned, transparent tactical combat rather than the real-time shooting found in Rainbow Six Siege.
Is Rainbow Six Tactics connected to Mario + Rabbids?
It is not a crossover. The game’s director has said Ubisoft studied the design DNA of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, particularly its tactical level design and encounter metrics, to inform how Rainbow Six Tactics plays.
When does Rainbow Six Tactics release?
Ubisoft has not announced an official release date, platform list, or launch window for Rainbow Six Tactics, so any timing beyond the director’s development comments remains unconfirmed.
How is Rainbow Six Tactics different from Rainbow Six Siege?
Rainbow Six Siege focuses on real-time, split-second tactical shooting, while Rainbow Six Tactics uses a turn-based structure that emphasises clear, planned decisions over reflex-driven combat.
