XDefiant

Last updated
XDefiant
XDefiant covert art.jpeg
Developer(s) Ubisoft San Francisco
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Director(s)
  • Mark Rubin
  • Jason Schroeder
Engine Snowdrop
Platform(s)
ReleaseMay 21, 2024
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

XDefiant (formerly known as Tom Clancy's XDefiant) is a free-to-play first-person shooter video game developed by Ubisoft San Francisco and published by Ubisoft. XDefiant is currently in development and is set to be released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on May 21, 2024. On PC, the game will be released exclusively on Ubisoft Connect. [1] [2]

Contents

Gameplay

The game features a variety of factions and classes, each with their own unique abilities and weapons. It is set in the Ubisoft universe, map locations are based on multiple Ubisoft titles in game locations. [3] Players engage in fast-paced, team-based multiplayer matches across a variety of maps and game modes.

The setting of the game revolves around factions called "Defiant", Phantoms (from Ghost Recon ), Echelon (from Splinter Cell ), Cleaners (from The Division ), Libertad (from Far Cry) and DedSec (from Watch Dogs). [4] Defiants are customizable with traits, abilities, devices, weapons and items. [5] It has 6-versus-6 linear game modes (such as "Domination" and "Escort").

Development

The game was officially announced by Ubisoft in July 2021. [6] A closed Insider test of a pre-alpha version of XDefiant occurred in North America in 2021. [7] A second Insider test was held in February 2023. [8] A closed beta test began on 13 April and ended on 23 April. [9] In March 2022, the game was rebranded as a part of the Ubisoft Originals brand, dropping the Tom Clancy's universe title, and is expected to feature characters from other Ubisoft franchises. [10]

On 17 April 2023, shortly after the launch of the game's closed beta, XDefiant became one of the top games to be streamed on the Twitch streaming platform, gaining around 50k viewers and passing the combined popularity of Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare II . [11]

During the Ubisoft Forward presentation on 12 June 2023, Ubisoft announced an open session, which started on 20 June for closed beta test participants (21 June for all players) and ended on 23 June. A Public Test Session was announced for PC only starting on 28 September and ending on 29 September. [12] Ubisoft planned the game to release in early-to-mid October. [13] The Year 1 Roadmap includes four seasons with 12 new weapons, maps, balance, and 4 characters update. [14] [15] After the session "surfaced some inconsistencies in the game experience", director Mark Rubin announced that XDefiant's release was delayed temporary. [16]

Release

XDefiant is scheduled to release on May 21, 2024.

Reception

Kotaku compared Open Session Beta game pace and loadouts to Call of Duty: Black Ops II . [17]

Forbes suggests that XDefiant is a threat to the Call of Duty franchise. [18]

Related Research Articles

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a series of military tactical shooter video games published by Ubisoft. In the series, the player is in charge of a fictional, newly conceived squad of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers from Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group stationed at Fort Bragg. Except for the "1st Battalion, 5th SFG" designation, this reconnaissance unit is entirely fictional, as Special Forces Battalions currently only support three Companies. They are often referred to as "the Ghosts". Their role is like other real world special operations forces, in that their operations are kept highly classified. In Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, it is shown that the Ghost's unit has multiple designations and is part of JSOC; they are also known as the Group for Specialized Tactics, much like real JSOC units such as Delta Force and SEAL Team Six. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon has also been novelized by Grant Blackwood under the pseudonym David Michaels.

<i>Tom Clancys EndWar</i> 2008 video game

Tom Clancy's EndWar is a strategy video game available on Microsoft Windows and all seventh-generation platforms except the Wii, with the timing and flow of gameplay differing across platforms. The console and PC version is a real-time tactics game designed by Ubisoft Shanghai, while the handheld versions feature turn-based tactics. It was released on Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Windows version was released in February 2009.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon: Future Soldier</i> 2012 video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is a third-person tactical shooter video game developed and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released in May and June 2012. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was announced to be in development by Ubisoft on January 22, 2009. The game has a futuristic take on the Ghost Recon series. The campaign has settings such as Bolivia, Zambia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, and Norway.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Phantoms</i> 2014 multiplayer shooter video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms was a multiplayer third-person tactical shooter video game, released in 2014 as a free-to-play game for Microsoft Windows. The game is part of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. On August 25, 2016, Ubisoft announced that it would shut down Phantoms' servers on December 1, 2016, due to "a slow but steady decline in users".

<i>Tom Clancys The Division</i> 2016 video game

Tom Clancy's The Division is an online-only action role-playing video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published in 2016 by Ubisoft, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is set in a near future New York City in the aftermath of a viral pandemic; the player, a Special Agent of the Strategic Homeland Division, is tasked with helping the group rebuild its operations in Manhattan, investigate the nature of the outbreak, and combat criminal activity in its wake. The Division is structured with elements of role-playing games, as well as cooperative and player versus player online multiplayer. This game also marks the debut of Massive and Ubisoft's Snowdrop game engine.

<i>Tom Clancys Rainbow Six Siege</i> 2015 video game

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is an online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on December 1, 2015; the game was also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S exactly five years later on December 1, 2020. The title received a port for Google Stadia on June 30, 2021, and one for Amazon Luna in January 2022. The game puts heavy emphasis on environmental destruction and cooperation between players. Each player assumes control of an attacker or a defender in different gameplay modes such as rescuing a hostage, defusing a bomb, and taking control of an objective within a room. The title has no campaign but features a series of short, offline missions called, "situations" that can be played solo. These missions have a loose narrative, focusing on recruits going through training to prepare them for future encounters with the "White Masks", a terrorist group that threatens the safety of the world.

LawBreakers was a 2017 first-person shooter video game developed by Boss Key Productions and published by Nexon. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on August 8, 2017. Physical editions were distributed by Limited Run Games.

<i>Tom Clancys</i> Video games based on works of Tom Clancy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowdrop (game engine)</span> Proprietary game engine

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<i>Skull and Bones</i> (video game) 2024 video game

Skull and Bones is a 2024 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Singapore and published by Ubisoft. The game revolves around piracy and naval warfare with a fantastical setting in East Africa and Southeast Asia during the late 17th century, the peak of the historical Golden Age of Piracy. It was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on February 16, 2024, after multiple delays and developmental difficulties, to mixed reviews.

<i>Tom Clancys The Division 2</i> 2019 video game

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is an online-only action role-playing video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The sequel to Tom Clancy's The Division (2016), it is set in a near-future Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of a genetically engineered virus known as "Green Poison" being released, and follows an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division as they try to rebuild the city. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on March 15, 2019.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Breakpoint</i> 2019 video game

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References

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  4. Shujak, Igor (April 19, 2024). "All XDefiant Factions and Their Abilities, Explained". N4G. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
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  8. "Announcing Cross-Play Insider Session" (Press release). Ubisoft. 14 February 2023.
  9. "Closed Beta Announcement" (Press release). Ubisoft. 6 April 2023.
  10. Subhan, Ishraq (March 17, 2022). "Ubisoft drops Tom Clancy's name from XDefiant". Eurogamer . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  11. Saliedeen, Salmaan (2023-04-16). "New Competitive FPS Has Surpassed Call of Duty: Warzone on Twitch". Game Rant. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
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  13. "An Update on the Release of XDefiant from Mark Rubin". www.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  14. "XDefiant launches this summer, with an open beta coming soon". PCGamesN. June 12, 2023.
  15. "XDefiant- UbiForward & What's Next". www.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
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  17. "Ubisoft's Call of Duty Clone Is Actually Pretty Good". Kotaku. June 23, 2023.
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