The 2019 Rainbow Six Siege tournament is well underway right now in Raleigh, North Carolina, where it is expected that some people attending the eSports event will be cosplaying characters from the game. As a precaution, the Raleigh Police Department has issued a memo to nearby residents notifying them of the possibility of seeing people dressed in realistic military uniforms and carrying fake weapons.
The police department explained that the email was sent purely as a precaution to residents, and it included a photo attached of cosplayers from previous Rainbow Six Siege events. "As you can see in the provided pictures, it attracts a lot of people that like to dress in very realistic looking military-type gear," the email reads.
The Raleigh Police Department also clarified that cosplayers will only carry fake firearms, which will be tagged and checked by security, and real weapons will not be permitted inside the event. Ubisoft also coordinated with the city and police department ensuring that metal detectors and bag checks will be available at the Rainbow Six Siege tournament.
Of course, the precaution from the police department is understandable, so as to prevent any sort of panic from residents who may see someone in military uniform carrying a realistic-looking firearm. Moreover, the event's added security precautions are also a response to recent mass shooting incidents and a way to ensure the safety of all attendees. Fresh on everyone's mind is the shooting took place during a Madden NFL 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida last year. Reports revealed that three people have been killed and nine were seriously injured.
In the wake of such instances, gaming conferences, tournaments, and other events have ramped up their security measures to ensure safety and prevent another tragic incident. The 2019 Rainbow Six Siege Major is already underway and will course through the weekend. The event is the first to be held in the United States and will see sixteen teams around the world competing for the $500,000 prize pool. Interested fans can tune into the tournament, which is streaming all weekend on the Rainbow Six eSports Youtube channel.
Meanwhile, a leaked piece of Rainbow Six Siege concept art unveiled new operators in the game. Ever since the launch of Rainbow Six Siege back in 2015, Ubisoft has introduced 48 operators in the game, adding eight new operators per year. The concept art leak, which appeared in 4chan, revealed the next two upcoming Rainbow Six Siege operators.
Rainbow Six Siege is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Digital Trends