Team Rainbow’s been quiet awhile. It was 2008 when Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 was released, and while Ubi hinted last month that new games would appear in running franchises, it’s not until now that iwe knew it was this one. We were expecting Spinter Cell. But it’s Rainbow Six: Patriots.

It’s coming from Ubisoft’s Montreal department, and being made alongside Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Red Storm. Which I hope is their solution to multiformat, rather than a return to the fragmented design days of the last decade, that saw their titles get a little confused. Although despite three teams on the project, they’re in no rush – the game is set for 2013. And of course it’s not really being made by them, but by Tom Clancy himself. And promises “a bold new direction”.

Which is a good sign, compared to the Ubi of old (well, four years ago) when they were attempting to factory-produce their popular franchises, with alternating teams working on alternating games, in an attempt to have one of everything a year (especially Splinter Cell and Prince Of Persia). The results were not so good, and they seem to have learned from this, given the comparatively long production time here.

So what’s the bold new direction? Ubi’s creative director David Sears explains that,

“Terrorism has evolved, and so has Rainbow 6. In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, all the team play, tactics, and realism that fans of the series love have been coupled with an exciting new narrative direction. This adds an unprecedented level of humanity that will make Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots an extremely tense and immersive experience.”

Which is to say, er, nothing.

The scant information available at this point continues on saying Team Rainbow is facing a new threat called the True Patriots, who are a naughty revolutionary group claiming that “the American government is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests.” Er. So it’s internal terrorism this time out, in what sounds a bit like Team Rainbow Vs. the Tea Party.

They also promise lots of new co-op and multiplayer, focusing on teamwork as you might expect from this five-year forgotten series. Apparently there will be more info in something called “Official Xbox Magazine” later this month. Magazines, eh? They still exist?

Um, have a “fake packshot” that has been sent out. Ubisoft’s words.