Rainbow Six Siege‘s competitive season culminated following the 2023 Six Invitational grand final, and worrying news is already piling up in the esports scene.
A week after the historic organization TSM departed from the FPS game’s competitive scene, another followed today.
Despite an outstanding performance at the Six Invitational last week, Astralis has disbanded its team and left the scene. The team finished in fourth place in the tournament, making them one of the best teams in the world.
The organization mentioned new esports rules as the main cause of this drastic decision. “The conditions for running a healthy team organization in Rainbow 6 have deteriorated significantly,” Astralis wrote in a press release. “The development and lack of prospects in the league regrettably make it impossible for us to continue,” CEO Anders Hørsholt added.
The full roster is looking for another org to represent them in Rainbow Six, team member Forrest said on social media.
Astralis initially joined the scene in 2021 when it signed Disrupt Gaming’s roster. While they failed to qualify for the Six Invitational in the first year, their performance skyrocketed in 2022.
They won the first and second stages of the NAL Championships, as well as the grand finals in the fall. Their second season culminated with the Six Invitational, where they lost to G2 Esports, the eventual World champions, in the lower bracket’s semifinals.
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This is another blow to Rainbow Six esports. The news is especially worrying since Astralis was the best team in North America and one of the best in the world.
Many organizations have progressively departed the scene, leading to both fans and experts expressing concern about the game’s future. This year’s Six Invitational brought in respectable audience numbers, according to Esports Charts, but it was nowhere near some previous iterations of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft is still pushing for updates to attract new players and keep Rainbow Six Scene fresh. Beginner and Speciality Challenges are set to be added soon to help players learn the ropes.
