Update (2/16/21, 1:30 PM) – Ubisoft has come out with a statement about the possible Rainbow Six Quarantine name change, explaining that Rainbow Six Parasite is a placeholder used by internal teams.
Speaking to Eurogamer, an Ubisoft spokesman explained that Rainbow Six Parasite is a placeholder name used for an internal test by the company. It did confirm that these files are genuine, but the statement also implies that this might not be the name change we've been expecting.
"While we recently shared that we will be changing the name of Rainbow Six Quarantine, 'Parasite' is only a placeholder that our internal teams use," an Ubisoft spokesman told Eurogamer.
"Recently, we ran an internal test for the game and some of its details became public. We can confirm this is a glimpse of the upcoming game, and we will share more details, including the official name, soon."
Our original story continues below.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine might be getting a name change prior to its release — a new report has uncovered files with the name Rainbow Six Parasite.
Rainbow Six Quarantine is a three-player co-op shooter that has a group of highly-trained soldiers fending off a deadly alien parasite. It was originally supposed to launch in mid-2020, but it was one of the many games that were delayed in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There were indications that it would launch earlier this year, but that also appears to have been a mistake.
Players are still patiently waiting for the release, but they might get the same game under a slightly different name: it looks like this new Ubisoft shooter might have been renamed Rainbow Six Parasite.
Rainbow Six Quarantine's Name Change Revealed in PlayStation Files, Report Says
The potential for a Rainbow Six Quarantine name change was previously reported by VG 24/7 through comments made by Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot in an earnings call.
"[A Rainbow Six Quarantine name change] is something we are evaluating and we will see what comes in the future on that product," Guillemot said.
Now, it appears that a name change might actually be happening. MP1st reports that a file for the game has been uploaded to the PlayStation Network. After a bit of digging, they discovered a series of images with a new logo that replaces "Quarantine" with "Parasite."
The reason for a potential name change is glaringly obvious: the COVID-19 pandemic has had millions of people in one form of quarantine or another, nevermind the hundreds of millions of people in voluntary and involuntary lockdowns. Having "quarantine" in your name in the midst of a real-world pandemic could be troublesome.
For now, there's not much else to do but wait for the game to come out. You can expect this new Rainbow Six game to launch sometime between April 1, 2021–March 31, 2022, but this reported addition to the PlayStation network might mean that this game's launch is sooner rather than later.
What do you think of the Rainbow Six Quarantine name change? Do you think this was a good move by Ubisoft? Let us know in the comments below!
