Rainbow Six Siege creative director Alexander Karpazis is stepping down from his role on the game. Ubisoft announced in a blog post that Karpazis is giving up the role he’s held since January 2022, with Ubisoft veteran Joshua Mills taking over in that role.
Karpazis had worked on Siege for eight years and was previously the game’s art director before rising to become the overall creative director.
“I cannot put into words the number of ways this game has impacted my life; the incredible team that I have been a part of, the work we have achieved together, the adventures I have gone on, and the people I have met along the way have had a profound effect on me and have enriched my life season after season,” Karpazis said. “It has been an honor spending half my professional career working on Siege.”
Karpazis is transitioning to a different role within Ubisoft where he will work on “something new,” though he did not elaborate as to what the project may be.
The developer also sang the praises of Mills, saying he has “proven himself to be a strong leader and a champion of Siege values.” The two had been working together for a year already on the “transition of responsibilities” related to the handover, Karpazis said. “I am confident he will lead this game to even greater heights,” the developer said.
Mills released a statement, too, thanking Karpazis for his guidance and for his trust in him to step into the role over creative director for Siege.
“Siege has been part of my life for the past decade, but my love for all things Rainbow begins well before that. I have always been drawn to the high stakes heroics of the franchise and with my 4+ years on Siege to-date it’s been a dream to have become part of its history,” he said.
The change in leadership for Rainbow Six Siege comes amidst a period of upheaval at Ubisoft. The company underwent a “reset,” through which it overhauled its business and created five different “creative houses” to shepherd the company’s franchises going forward. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot’s own son, Charlie Guillemot, is part of Ubisoft’s future transformation endeavors, and he’s aware of the nepotism concerns.