Ubisoft has shut down Rainbow Six Siege across all platforms following a significant hack that gave every player billions of credits and rare cosmetics whilst attackers posted messages directly to players through hijacked game systems.
The breach occurred on 27th December, forcing the developer to take the unusual step of completely disabling the game whilst teams work to stabilise systems and roll back unauthorised changes.
What Actually Happened
The scope of this hack goes beyond typical security incidents. Players logged in to find their accounts flooded with two billion credits, the game’s premium currency. Beyond that, hackers distributed developer-only skins, unlimited Renown, thousands of Alpha Packs, and previously unobtainable cosmetics like Glacier skins.
More concerning was the attackers’ ability to manipulate live gameplay. Some players found themselves forced into losses during ranked matches, whilst others received what appeared to be ban notifications. The hackers had gained enough access to hijack the in-game messaging system, posting messages aimed directly at Ubisoft.
The Community Response
Prominent players like KingGeorge immediately warned their audiences to stay offline and avoid spending any of the suspicious currency. This advice stemmed from previous incidents where Ubisoft had banned accounts that benefited from exploits, even unintentionally.
The random bans hitting both regular players and streamers added to the confusion. For several hours, nobody was certain whether these were legitimate Ubisoft actions or part of the attack itself.
Ubisoft’s Handling
The company’s initial response drew criticism for referring to an “incident” rather than acknowledging the breach directly. About 30 minutes after their first statement, they took the more decisive step of shutting down both the game and marketplace entirely.
To Ubisoft’s credit, they’ve since clarified their position. Nobody will face bans for spending the hacked credits. All transactions after 11am UTC are being rolled back. The ban messages players saw weren’t from Ubisoft at all, the hackers had control of that system too.
Larger Security Concerns
Reports suggest this visible chaos may have served as a distraction for a more serious objective. The attackers allegedly attempted to steal source code for multiple Ubisoft titles, with claims they’ll leak classified information unless Ubisoft makes contact.
Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed these allegations. They have stated that personal data like passwords and banking details weren’t accessed, which matters more to most players than in-game currencies.
What This Means for Players
Servers remain offline with no confirmed timeline for restoration. If you’re a regular Siege player, the practical advice is straightforward: wait for Ubisoft’s official all-clear before logging back in.
The incident raises questions about security in live-service games. When attackers can manipulate not just inventories but active gameplay and communication systems, it demonstrates vulnerabilities that go beyond typical data breaches.
For now, the community waits whilst Ubisoft works to secure systems and restore service. The silver lining, if there is one, is that accounts won’t face punishment for circumstances entirely beyond players’ control.
