Ubisoft cuts ties with ‘Siege’ content creator Thaqil after racism accusations

12 April, 2023

Rainbow Six Siege

Ubisoft has cut ties with Rainbow Six Siege content creator Thaqil and will be removing his in-game charm cosmetic, following accusations of racism.

Content warning: this story contains references to racism and homophobia, along with comments that appear to imply sexual assault. 

In a series of now-deleted TikToks viewed by NME, Thaqil targetted Castle, a Black character in Rainbow Six Siege, with a number of racist comments.

In one video, Thaqil listed Castle as a Siege operator whose name began with N. In a second, the content creator said he would “avoid” Castle in a “Kiss, Marry Avoid” game, and claimed “I think it’s quite obvious, it’s because he’s black”.

Another video showed the streamer posing with a banana under Castle’s Siege icon.

While these videos have been taken offline, other TikToks – including one that appears to make jokes about implied sexual assault – remain online at time of writing.

After reaching out to see if Ubisoft was aware of Thaqil’s content on TikTok, a Ubisoft spokesperson shared the following statement with NME.

“Ubisoft does not tolerate any form of racism, bullying or harassment. We believe in providing positive and engaging entertainment experiences where everyone feels welcome, included and celebrated.”

“Following an investigation, it has become clear that content creator Thaqil’s recent posts on social media are in breach of Ubisoft’s Code of Conduct,” the spokesperson continued. “As a result, Thaqil will no longer be part of our content creators program and his charm will be removed from Rainbow Six Siege.”

The charm in reference is an in-game cosmetic that was earned by subscribing to Thaqil’s Twitch channel. However, Ubisoft’s website warns that “any actions that may negatively affect the R6S/Ubisoft brand” can result in content creators being removed from the programme.

Additional reporting by Jake Tucker.

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