Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege esports scene received a massive facelift in 2018 as it shifted from having a bracket-style season to a league format following the conclusion of the Pro League Season Seven finals in May.

Following a trend that was set by other league formats that debuted in 2018 like the Overwatch League and NBA 2K League, R6 looked to build on the strong viewership numbers that its second Six Invitational brought to the title.

Though R6 has been clear about its aspirations of being seen as an esport from its release in late 2015, it wasn’t until the first Six Invitational in 2017 that the title began to truly see its competitive scene make waves. Following that pivotal tournament, the scene grew culminating in immense growth for a game that’s youthful stages are behind it.

Related Article: How Rainbow Six Siege Methodically Grew Into a Major Esport

While R6 remains outside of the upper echelon of games that are streamed on Twitch, it’s immense growth as an esport in 2018 paired with Ubisoft’s commitment to finding a system that allows it to thrive, made the title a one of Twitch’s most-improved in terms of hours watched year-over-year.

Year-Over-Year

Rainbow Six more than doubled its hours watched total to 87.56M in 2018, up from 40.79M in 2017, and esports is almost exclusively responsible for the bump. Huge spikes in viewership in 2018 that didn’t exist in 2017 were associated with some of the game’s biggest esports events.

In 2017, the official R6 esports channel averaged just under 7K CCV and peaked out at 63.62K. All of the channel’s figures grew exponentially in 2018. With it’s airtime amplified to 707.63 hours, up from less than 400 in 2017, the channel carried the title with 12.56M hours watched and an average of 13.34K CCV.

Esports Effect

Rainbow Six is the perfect example of how esports can create a second life for a game, sometimes years after its release. The title’s viewership is highly reliant on its esports scene that saw massive growth in 2018. While few esports-specific channels account for the title’s top channels, all of the top ten most-watched streaming sessions for the title in 2018 were on the official R6 channel.

Not only did the channel account for the title’s highest average concurrent viewership (CCV) in one session and its highest peak CCV, but it’s 12.56M hours watched was nearly 5M more than the second most-watched channel.

Considering how important esports have been for R6 in 2018, it’s no surprise that the highlight of the year for R6 on Twitch was the game’s premier event—the Six Invitational. With an average of 72K viewers during a week’s worth of coverage on the official R6 channel, the event produced 3.5M hours watched on Twitch and predictably peaked as the event drew closer to its grand finale.

Influencer Impact

The marketplace for personality streamers in R6 is a bit of a barren wasteland compared to Twitch’s top titles like Fortnite or League of Legends . Outside of well-known streamers like Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and Saqib “Lirik” Zahid, who have occasionally streamed the game, R6’s personalities typically average no more than around 4K CCV.

While R6 was Grzesiek’s third most-aired game in 2018, his 292.5 hours aired is fairly low compared to most other streamers of the game. Zahid’s airtime on the game was even lower, sitting at just around 62 hours. Despite his lack of streaming the title, Zahid’s 20.82K average CCV on the title was enough to make him the seventh ranked channel for the game, truly displaying just how top-heavy and esports reliant the game is.

The lack of influencers playing R6 certainly contributes to the title’s inability to sneak into the ranks of Twitch’s most-watched content, but the game’s lack of personalities also shows just how strong the growth of its esports have been. As Ubisoft looks to cash in on the methodical rebirth of R6, the esports marketplace is where most—or all—of the opportunity and reach currently resides.

By The Numbers

Total Hours Watched in 2018: 87.56M.

Total Hours Watched in 2017: 40.79M.

Most-Watched Day: Feb. 18 for the Six Invitational finals with 1.6M hours watched.

Peak CCV: 191.7K the Six Invitational finals.

Most-Watched Channel: The official Rainbow Six channel with 12.56M hours watched.