Ubisoft had a lot of exciting news to share during last weekend’s Rainbow Six Siege Six Invitational tournament. Naturally much of the focus was centered on Operation Burnt Horizon and its new operators. However, Ubisoft also had a special surprise for fans of Siege’s story-based elements.
A new CGI trailer, titled ‘The Hammer and the Scalpel,’ focuses on two iconic Siege operators: Thatcher and Dokkaebi. The trailer also introduces the new Team Rainbow squad commander, Harishva “Harry” Pandey.
The trailer is a treat to watch, thanks in no small part to its impressive use of CGI rendering. In fact, if a viewer didn’t already know it was CGI, they could easily mistake it for live-action footage.
Rainbow Six Siege Hammer and Scalpel CGI Trailer
During the trailer’s opening, viewers see British operator Thatcher and his Korean teammate Dokkaebi engaging in a training exercise. However, Thatcher’s brash head-on approach clearly doesn’t gel with Dokkaebi’s reliance on technology-based intel. There’s clear friction between the two, and so Dokkaebi goes to a third party for advice. That third party is Harishva Pandey, Team Rainbow’s psychological and military culture advisor.
Previously, Pandey was serving as an advisor to Team Rainbow commander Aurelia “Six” Arnot. Players might remember actress Angela Bassett’s portrayal of Arnot from Siege’s opening cinematic. However, according to Siege’s new Year 4 lore, Arnot has accepted a new position in the U.S. State Department. Given his close familiarity with Team Rainbow and his time spent as Arnot’s protégé, Pandey was the perfect replacement.
The second half of the trailer shows Pandey giving Dokkaebi some sage advice on how to deal with Thatcher. He also reveals that, like many other Team Rainbow operators, Thatcher has his own demons to deal with. The reason Thatcher is so gruff and impatient towards Dokkaebi is because he knows that hesitation can get people killed. A brief flashback sequence also shows how committed Thatcher is to protecting those he cares about.
Rainbow Six Siege’s story elements obviously don’t get as much attention as its competitive gameplay and eSports components. However, the Hammer and Scalpel trailer proves that, with Siege, Ubisoft is crafting more than just a generic shooter. The various operators players control each have their own backstories, personalities, and goals. Those personalities may not shine through in Siege’s moment-to-moment gameplay but they certainly come through in the new CGI trailer.