Ubisoft delaying the Operation Deep Freeze update may not be a good sign for Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deep Freeze, the upcoming final season for Year 8, has been postponed by Ubisoft. The update was ready to come out on November 28, 2023. However, the developer announced via a post on their X handle that they had decided to postpone the release of Year 8 Season 4 as the update needed to go through more tests to ensure the best possible experience for Siege players.

While the developer did not disclose more about the situation, fans have been wondering about the game's health for a while now. Rainbow Six Siege has seen a significant downfall in playerbase over the last year, with the pro league scene also seeing diminishing views over time.

---

Why was Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deep Freeze Delayed?

Deep Freeze is an anticipated season for Rainbow Six Siege players as it will bring the final Operation for Year 8 alongside various changes to the game. Gamers are not only excited for the new Operator Tubarão but also to try out the new gameplay reworks Ubisoft promised during the Atlanta Major finals.

However, gamers will likely have to wait another week or so before Ubisoft confirms another release date for Operation Deep Freeze. In the official post, the developer did not disclose more about the delay's reason.

---

Are the constant update delays hurting the game?

Rainbow Six Siege Steamcharts (Image via steamcharts.com)

According to Steamcharts, Rainbow Six Siege has lost over 28.3% of its players, as over 14,000 of them left the game. While these numbers exclude the console and Ubisoft Connect count, console players have also complained about the poor matchmaking time on their respective platforms.

Aside from the ongoing season, Operation Heavy Mettle, the game also saw a significant dip in October 2022 with Operation Solar Raid's release with Solis. Steamcharts reveal that the playerbase lost about 19% of its average player count. At the time, players often complained about delayed updates and late fixes that were detrimental to Siege's health.

Fast forward to Operation Deep Freeze's impending arrival, gamers are growing back the same opinion about the title, with respect to the developer constantly delaying major fixes to the following seasons.

In the recent reveal at the R6 Atlanta Major, Ubisoft announced that the long-awaited shield rework scheduled for Deep Freeze will now see light in Year 9 Season 1.

The Frost Welcome Mat rework took around two seasons to make into the game before getting delayed twice in the Test Servers. These updates are crucial to balancing the game and can be expected to take more time. However, the delay also makes the meta stale and repetitive as persistent problems keep festering.

---

Currently, there is no confirmed release date for Operation Deep Freeze. However, one can expect one soon, according to Ubisoft. Until then, gamers can enjoy the extended Test Servers, which will be live until December 5, 2023.