Virtus.Pro skins will also make a return in-game.
Virtus.pro has revealed it will be a part of Ubisoft’s plan for Rainbow Six Siege in 2023. The org will operate under its own name. The announcement means the end of Ubisoft sanctions on Virtus.pro last year.
“We have taken multiple steps over the past year to be able to comply and compete under the Virtus.pro banner and have done a great job documenting every step we took. We thank our fans for their patience and urge them to cheer for Virtus.pro in the next season.”
Why did Ubisoft sanction Virtus.pro in Rainbow Six Siege?
Following the Russia-Ukraine war that started in February 2022, Ubisoft imposed sanctions on the ESforce-owned Virtus.pro. The CEO of ESForce has been sanctioned by both the European Union as well as the United States government.
The Virtus.pro roster competed under the Outsiders tag, until they could get some changes to their company ownership.
Aram Karamanukyan purchased the company assets and trademark. This prompted other game publishers such as Valve to drop the sanctions against the not-Russian company. This was because following the change in ownership, Virtus.pro was considered to be an Armenian company.
However, in December 2022, Nikolai Petrossian, once again took over the role of CEO of Virtus.pro.
VP's return weeks after some big-name exits
Virtus.pro’s re-entry into Rainbow Six Siege comes just weeks after TSM and FURIA announced their exit from the game. Earlier in February, TSM announced it was leaving the Rainbow Six Siege scene just under a year after winning Six Invitational 2022. The team’s performance over the past year was nothing to write home about. But instead of trying to build out their R6 roster, the org has decided to focus on other FPS titles.
FURIA also parted ways with the league citing lack of publisher support and effective leadership. This was a damning accusation on Ubisoft’s management style and how they run their esports league.
Virtus.pro’s return to Rainbow Six Siege will also mark the return of their skins to the game. Virtus.pro confirmed it on Twitter saying their skins will return for the 2023 season.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Rainbow Six Siege news and updates.