More crossovers could come to Siege after Solid Snake, but devs promise to stay 'reserved'

Following a not-so-subtle teaser earlier in the year, today saw the official reveal of Solid Snake coming to Rainbow Six Siege at the final of the Paris Invitational esports event.

Arriving on March 3, 2026, he'll be the 76th Operator to enter the game, teaming up with Ubisoft's own Sam Fisher in the reveal trailer. The collaboration with Konami marks the very first time that Ubisoft has brought in a third-party IP into its Operator ranks, and it looks like it's keeping the doors open for more in the future.

Speaking to newly-appointed creative director Joshua Mills, I asked whether Solid Snake marks the beginning of more third-party collaboration for Siege Operators. "You'll notice that on Snake, it says 'Iconic' as a tag now, and it'll say the franchise is from," Mills explains.

"But we also did that with Sam, because Sam is technically from the Splinter Cell series. So at the end of the day, we've set up the system in place to allow that, but we will be very reserved and conservative about how we approach this."

Although games like Fortnite and Call of Duty have embodied crossover events as part of their identity these days, Siege remains committed to delivering a grounded, tactical experience. Mills is keen to keep this reputation untarnished, especially when it comes to considering third-party IP to incorporate.

"Snake makes a lot of sense, and it really can align and gel well. But depending on what other franchises would be there, it would be very, very meticulously thought over to make sure that it becomes true [to Siege]," he explains.

The push for Siege to remain true to its roots can be seen elsewhere in its Year 11 roadmap of content with the Hostage game mode getting a competitive rework later in the year.

"That initial reveal trailer [for Siege] was the Hostage game mode, so we feel that it's important to respect that," Christopher Budgens, the game's live service lead, tells me.

"[Hostage] is iconic to Siege. We want to make sure that lives on in the game and showcases it as part of the franchise," Mills adds.

Solid Snake is set to launch in Rainbow Six Siege on March 3, 2026.