12/04/2023 @ 3:31pm – Thaqil has issued a public apology for the TikToks, writing “My intent was to never be taken literally or promote racism.”
A Rainbow Six Siege content creator has been dropped by Ubisoft following a series of openly racist TikToks centring around Castle, one of the FPS game‘s black operators.
Please be aware that this report contains racist language and references to sexual assault which may be upsetting to some readers.
Thaqil, a Rainbow Six Siege creator with over 250,000 followers on YouTube, uploaded two TikToks relating to the character. One sees him eating a banana before asking which operator he’d be playing that day. When the RNG chooses Castle, he looks back pointedly towards the fruit.
A second sees him use a ‘kiss, marry, avoid’ generator for Rainbow Six Siege operators. When it lands on Castle, he replies “avoid. I mean, I think it’s quite obvious, because he’s black.” The video then cuts to Thaqil ‘elaborating’ that certain elements of his kit “aren’t very good.”
A report from NME states that the creator also allegedly listed Castle under Rainbow Six operators whose names begin with ‘N,’ and made implied jokes about sexual assault. All of the videos in question have since been removed.
Sometimes I wonder if people even get vetted people …. @Rainbow6_UK pic.twitter.com/CFHF37NvPk
— Saskia (@Saskia_Cole) April 11, 2023
In response to NME’s enquiries, Ubisoft has confirmed that it has axed the creator, removing him from their R6 program and pulling an in-game charm that could be earned through subscribing to Thaqil on Twitch.
“Ubisoft does not tolerate any form of racism, bullying or harassment,” the statement reads. “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. 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 creator has since responded to the allegations in a lengthy April 12 Twitlonger, simply entitled ‘I’m sorry.’ “I will be honest, I knew what I was doing when it came to those challenges and knew the joke that I was about to make,” he writes. “My intent was to never be taken literally or promote racism in anyway but now looking back, that’s kind of what I did so I apologise.
“My main objective was to be edgy and make people laugh but I now realise that my attempt on humour may come across as insensitive and offensive, for that I am truly sorry. I don’t stand for racism or any discrimination of any kind. Sorry for those who I hurt, I will be more careful with my words and become a better person, we move forward and remember that no matter who you are, who you identify as, who you want to be, that you are amazing and loved.”
Whether or not Ubisoft will choose to reverse its decision and allow the creator back into the program remains unclear at this time.