Water is wet, the sky is blue, and loot boxes are a profitable venture in video games. There are just some things that are undeniable, and as long as players continue to buy into the allure of shiny new customization options for their in-game selves, developers will continue to implement the money farms that are loot boxes. The only thing players can really do, meanwhile, is hope for a system that isn't outright manipulative.
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Ubisoft recently revealed that Rainbow Six: Siege would be receiving its own implementation of loot boxes as part of Operation Health. According to the studio's announcement these crates, called "Alpha Packs" in this iteration, "are designed as a way to give you free cosmetics, just for playing the game!" The packs will have a chance of providing cosmetics from past events, as well as "Legendary" items only available through opening them.
RELATED: Ubisoft announces plan to improve Rainbow Six: Siege quality in "Operation Health"
Though players won't be able to buy Alpha Packs directly with microtransactions, they will be able to use Renown, which are earned passively simply by playing the game. Renown can be earned more quickly, however, by buying and using boosters with real money.
Today's update did not immediately implement the Alpha Packs into Siege. What it did do was correct some issues related to the Kanal map's tendency to encourage spawn-killing, tweak some walls that weren't meeting the mandated level of destructibility, and address a number of bugs plaguing the X-KAIROS launcher.
As for Rainbow Six: Siege's loot boxes, the new system will be gradually implemented over time to ensure a stable release. In celebration of their eventual arrival, all players will receive one free Alpha Pack when they finally launch.
For more information about the update, or about Operation Health and Siege in general, check out the full blog post from Ubisoft on the game's official website.
