Ubisoft cancels Rainbow Six tournament in Abu Dhabi following protest
The August 2022 event will be moved to another region, to be determined at a later date
Ubisoft has decided to move its upcoming Rainbow Six esports tournament to "another region" following a protest against it being held in Abu Dhabi.
As reported by PC Gamer, fans protested on social media and via a petition following the company's announcement that it would hold a Six Major in the United Arab Emirates' capital, due to the country criminalising homosexuality.
"With the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members of R6:S talent, we believe as a collective that this decision is short-sighted, dangerous and backwards to the developing ideology of esports, Rainbow Six: Siege and its community," the petition read.
Now Ubisoft has shared a statement on Twitter, saying it initially picked Abu Dhabi as it had seen "the emergence of an enthusiastic competitive Rainbow Six Siege scene in the MENA region."
"We want to stress that the safety and wellbeing of our event's participants and staff is always our primary concern, and we are proud of what Rainbow Six Siege represents as a world where diversity, inclusion and acceptance are at its core," the statement continued.
"With that in mind, we also hear loud and clear that members of the international Siege community question this choice, and we have taken the decision to move the Six Major of August 2022 to another Rainbow Six Esports region, with the exact location yet to be determined."
Ubisoft added that it remains "dedicated to investing in [its] emerging local esports scenes."