Rainbow Six Siege has its first transgender Operator. Osa, the newest attacker in the game, comes with Content 3 and the Crystal Guard update for Rainbow Six Siege Year 6. Anja "Osa" Janković is transgender, something that was not previously identified but has now been confirmed.
Osa's co-Operators as part of Year 6 are the already released Flores and the recent Operator Thunderbird. Osa has tactical robotic shields that she can use for protection and can be deployed in windows and doorways, helpful for both herself and for teammates. Her bio briefly mentions her "transition," but GameSpot reached out to Ubisoft for confirmation on what exactly that meant.
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According to the bio, Osa became isolated due in part to others' attitudes about her transition, which certainly would not be abnormal for someone in her position. In reaching out for confirmation if this was indeed referring to Osa being transgender, Ubisoft confirmed and added that the team went to great lengths as a part of its inclusivity initiative. Ubisoft had a group of trans consultants in creating its characters for the game. The group believed that Osa should be authentic and real. The final result of that was that Osa was written by a queer individual and voiced by a trans woman, which should make Osa feel more genuine.
This is not the first time that the development team at Ubisoft has used the Operators to create diversity and inclusion. Last year it was revealed that Flores was the first openly gay Operator in Rainbow Six Siege, for example. These decisions apparently were made some time ago to have a more inclusive roster, so there may be more on the way.
Games such as Apex Legends have been a force for good from the beginning with incredibly diverse rosters from varied ethnic backgrounds, genders, and more. Apex Legends started out with a wide range of characters, and it continues to grow. It is very nice to see a game like Rainbow Six Siege follow suit in this area.
As far as when players can get a taste of Osa in gameplay, the Crystal Guard update goes live on test servers on August 17 in Rainbow Six Siege. Osa appears to be a fierce competitor, an obsessive and passionate person, and more. Her abilities on the field could change the game as well, so it will be very interesting to see how players use Osa in possible new upcoming Rainbow Six Siege game modes to mix up team strategies and more.
Rainbow Six Siege is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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Source: GameSpot
