(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft doesn't seem to be running low on concepts for new Rainbow Six Siege operators: of the latest two added in Operation Ember Rise, one carries a deployable shield hiding an explosive charge and the other slings a grappling hook. But the dev team have far more left-field ideas including both a canine unit and a dual-wielding operator that requires an "entirely new way to play the game", according to Ubisoft Montreal presentation director Alexander Karpazis.

Neither idea has got past the drawing board, Karpazis told Wired, but they've both come up more than once. Creative director Romain Rimokh "always talks about a K-9 unit", Karpazis said in response to a fan who asked whether dogs would ever arrive in Siege. He continued: "But to answer your question I have to ask you a question: Are you okay with shooting a dog?" We're more interested in petting good dogs than shooting them, but some games—notably the Call of Duty: Black Ops series—have tried it in the past.

As for the dual-wielding character, it's something the team have discussed but "have never prototyped yet...It's a really cool idea, but I don't know if we'll ever get there in the near future."

So, neither seem likely, but they're not completely ridiculous either. It's interesting to get an insight into the sorts of operators Ubisoft developers dream up, and I reckon there must be a drawer in Montreal stuffed with all sorts of wacky ideas.