Ubisoft Shuts Down Rainbow Six Siege After Hack Gives Players Billions in Credits and Rare Items

Ubisoft Shuts Down Rainbow Six Siege After Hack Floods Players With Billions in Credits

Rainbow Six Siege faced a severe disruption when hackers exploited the game’s systems, handing billions of in-game credits and rare items to players.

The breach was first acknowledged by Ubisoft on X on 27 December, prompting a series of updates that culminated in a full shutdown of the game’s servers and marketplace the following day.

Players reported receiving 2 billion R6 credits upon logging in, alongside ultra-rare skins and weapons, while some accounts were inexplicably banned or unbanned.

Hackers Took Over Key Game Systems How Deep Did It Go

According to screenshots shared by players, the attackers gained control of Rainbow Six Siege’s messaging and banning systems, effectively manipulating major parts of the online environment.

With 15,000 R6 credits priced at $99.99, the in-game giveaway would equate to around $13.33 million if purchased legitimately.

Ubisoft confirmed on 28 December that it was rolling back in-game credits granted after 11 AM UTC.

The team said,

“A rollback is currently ongoing and afterwards, extensive quality control tests will be executed to ensure the integrity of accounts and effectiveness of changes.”

The company added that players would not be penalised for spending the credits they received during the incident.

Soft Relaunch Begins As Servers Gradually Come Back Online

Rainbow Six Siege has started a soft relaunch, opening access to a limited number of players while live tests continue.

Ubisoft explained,

“Opening the game to a small number of players only, while we complete live tests. More information on the rollback and full live relaunch to come.”

Daily active users averaged over 34,000 in December, highlighting the scale of the disruption.

Despite the rollback, some players now face login queues extending up to 24 hours, and the game’s Marketplace remains offline indefinitely as investigations continue.

Rollback Shows Limits and Possibilities of Game Economies

Ubisoft’s ability to reverse in-game transactions illustrates a key difference between centrally managed games and decentralised cryptocurrency systems.

In genuinely decentralised crypto environments like Bitcoin or Ether, reversing transfers is not possible.

However, as seen with the recent controversial rollback of the Flow blockchain, similar interventions are feasible in some crypto networks.

Ubisoft has previously explored blockchain gaming, collaborating with Immutable earlier this year to integrate its Web3 infrastructure into titles such as Might & Magic.

The Siege rollback demonstrates both the potential risks and control advantages in digital economies managed by traditional publishers.

Players Face Inventory Changes But No Punishment

While the rollback restores inventories to their state before 27 December, Ubisoft warned that “a small percentage of players may temporarily lose access to some owned items.”

Investigations and corrections will continue over the next two weeks.

Players who did not log in between 27 and 29 December will see no changes to their accounts.

The company emphasised that users will not face bans for spending the credits or using cosmetics obtained during the hack.

Instead, the focus remains on restoring the game’s integrity while ensuring all accounts are secure.

Rainbow Six Siege Returns But Marketplaces Stay Offline

After the weekend shutdown, Ubisoft has successfully brought the game back online, although server stability remains a concern.

Extensive quality control is ongoing to confirm the rollback’s effectiveness, and the Marketplace will remain inaccessible while the company assesses the breach.

The hack has highlighted vulnerabilities in live-service games and the scale of potential disruption in multiplayer ecosystems, while demonstrating the capacity of centralised game operators to intervene and protect both players and the game’s economy.