Rainbow Six Siege is gaining an unexpected ally: Solid Snake, the iconic protagonist of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Arriving on , Snake’s inclusion as a playable Operator marks the first time a character from outside the Tom Clancy universe has been integrated into the tactical shooter. However, the development team at Ubisoft considered – and ultimately rejected – adding another staple of the Metal Gear Solid experience: the cardboard box.
According to Josh Mills, Creative Director for Rainbow Six Siege, the idea of allowing players to conceal themselves within a cardboard box was explored during the crossover’s design phase. “There is a prototype of the box. It has active camo on it,” Mills told IGN. The concept, while seemingly fitting for Snake’s signature stealth tactics, was quickly dismissed due to the intimate knowledge Siege players possess of the game’s maps.
“Our players already know every inch of every map and among the team we have a saying, ‘Operator’s eyes don’t lie,’” Mills explained. The reasoning is straightforward: a suspiciously placed cardboard box in a familiar environment would immediately draw suspicion – and gunfire – from experienced players. The team concluded that the element of surprise, crucial to the cardboard box’s effectiveness in Metal Gear Solid, simply wouldn’t translate to the highly competitive and meticulously learned environments of Rainbow Six Siege.
This decision highlights a key difference between the two franchises. Metal Gear Solid often relies on deceiving AI-controlled enemies, whereas Rainbow Six Siege pits players against opponents who are intimately familiar with the map layouts, sightlines, and common tactical positions. What might fool a guard in Shadow Moses would be instantly recognized as an anomaly by a seasoned Siege player.
Despite the cardboard box being cut, the Snake Operator retains several elements of his Metal Gear Solid identity. He’s equipped with a Soliton Radar Mk. 3, a handheld PDA that allows him to detect enemy positions through walls, albeit with a limited number of pings. He also utilizes an OSP (On-Sight Procurement) Pouch and the iconic Tacit .45 pistol, maintaining a level of realism consistent with Siege’s grounded tactical gameplay.
The crossover extends beyond Snake himself. A Gray Fox skin will be available for Jackal, and a Meryl skin for Ash. Ubisoft is also launching a limited-time 4v4 infiltration mode called “Redacted,” where Snake and Zero lead a team of Operators to recover stolen data. Mills described the mode as a tribute to long-time fans of the Metal Gear series, suggesting a deeper level of integration than simply reskinning existing Operators.
This isn’t the first time Rainbow Six Siege has collaborated with other franchises. Previous crossovers have included content from Attack on Titan and The Boys, offering cosmetic items inspired by those universes. Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series was initially teased alongside the Snake announcement, and has since been fully integrated into the game as a playable Operator. Fisher’s inclusion in followed an initial appearance in , demonstrating Ubisoft’s willingness to revisit and expand upon these collaborative efforts.
The decision to forgo the cardboard box, while perhaps disappointing to some fans of Metal Gear Solid, underscores Ubisoft’s commitment to preserving the core gameplay experience of Rainbow Six Siege. The developers recognized that a mechanic reliant on deception would be ineffective against a player base that has mastered the intricacies of the game’s maps. Instead, they focused on integrating Snake’s abilities and equipment in a way that complements Siege’s existing tactical framework, offering a unique and balanced addition to the Operator roster.
