Rainbow Six Quarantine prototype was originally revealed in Watch Dogs 2

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Quarantine was going to be an exploration game

Rainbow Six: Quarantine
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Rainbow Six: Quarantine began life as a very different game to the tactical shooter it was revealed as, according to a new report. 

PC Gamer recently spoke to former Ubisoft director Alex Hutchinson, and asked him about Pioneer, the codename that Rainbow Six: Quarantine carried throughout early development. "We were trying to build on the learnings of how people engage with systems," says the former Pioneer director. "It was a non-violent, player-driven, zero-g space exploration game."

"You’re in this world where you can navigate in true 3D space, in smaller environments, more detailed environments," Hutchinson continues. "It was right on the line, whether it would go or not. And then in the end, the studio went in a different direction. Unfortunately, one of those lost projects." Kotaku would later report that Ubisoft replaced Pioneer's development leads in late 2016, although eagle-eyed players might remember Pionner as the hidden game teaser found in a mission in Watch Dogs 2.

That different direction for Pioneer would turn it into Rainbow Six: Quarantine, a tactical co-op shooter with horror elements. Quarantine was revealed with a teaser trailer at E3 2019, but we've heard zero information about the game itself since the first reveal. All we know is that it'll have some pretty scary moments, and put players in a PvE scenario.

Last week, Ubisoft revealed that Quarantine had been delayed. Although there was never actually a launch window locked down for the upcoming Rainbow Six game, it's now scheduled to launch at some point between April 2021 and March 2022.

For a look at all the other games that are confirmed to release in the remainder of this year and beyond, into 2021, head over to our new games 2020 guide.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.