Rainbow Six: Siege Closed Alpha Test Coming Soon

Our jaws dropped when we saw Rainbow Six: Siege revealed for the first time at E3 2014. Now, we're going to experience FPS-bliss in its upcoming alpha test, if you're lucky enough to get in, that is.

The details of the alpha test have been laid out on the official Rainbow Six: Siege website, and there's a lot to take in about whether or not we're actually eligible to participate. Invites will only go to players who fit certain criteria: they must have active uPlay accounts, they must live in certain parts of North America or Europe (detailed via a map on the site), they must be able to play it on the PC (with these minimum specs) and in English. If you're one of those folks that can check all of those eligibility boxes, then head on over to this link and register. The goals of the alpha test are to get feedback on what works and what doesn't in order to make changes, as well as test the online stability of the game in a limited setting before expanding to more players.

Ubisoft representatives describe the Rainbow Six: Siege alpha test as "an early testing period with a limited number of players and a small sample of content from the full game. This is a work-in-progress product and players are likely to experience some issues that will affect their gameplay experience."

We love that Ubisoft is going out on a limb to test this next big release before it launches, and we're not surprised considering how disastrous the 2014 holiday season was for them. We're hoping that this and any future tests on Siege will make for a clean launch, but as long as online matches connect at a good rate and characters have faces on their heads we won't complain.

While no release date has been set, Rainbow Six: Siege is scheduled to launch later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.