XDefiant is an energetic, high-octane shooter from Ubisoft that’s shaking up the first-person shooter space. It has long been considered a competitor to Call of Duty, but several technical issues caused multiple delays to the project. It was supposed to be released around August 2024, but Ubisoft confirmed that the first of many delays would take place then, ultimately pushing the game back.
Despite these delays, a dedicated assortment of fans stood ready to receive XDefiant – whenever it would arrive. As one of the most highly anticipated shooters around, XDefiant secured a core following before it had even hit the market. This slew of players were hooked on every leak and tidbit of information coming from within the project, desperate for any sign of a release date, and then…
XDefiant was released digitally on May 21, 2024, a full ten months after it was supposed to launch.
Here’s a snapshot history of when XDefiant was supposed to be released:
XDefiant was supposed to be released long ago, that’s for sure. It was penned to be released by the end of Summer 2023, but that window came and went. That was because of rejections from both Sony and Xbox during the QA portion of the game’s submission, so it was kicked back to Ubisoft. It was delayed again following an update in September 2023 that revealed it simply wasn’t ready for public consumption.
In the meantime, a lot of competition surfaced, particularly in the form of Embark Studios’ The Finals and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Regardless of that fact, the team working on XDefiant remained adamant that their game would disrupt the well-established first-person shooter market.
There will almost definitely be an esports scene surrounding XDefiant. Could XDefiant’s esports scene overtake Call of Duty esports?
It’s being penned as the Call of Duty ‘killer’ – even if Ubisoft is against that name. It’s a typical six vs. six first-person multiplayer shooter, so how does it differ from Call of Duty?
Firstly, it’s important to stress the uniqueness of XDefiant as a shooter. It’s firmly rooted in the ‘multiverse’ that makes up Ubisoft’s history, with the game’s characters being pulled from some of Ubisoft’s most recognisable franchises. There are recognisable elements from Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, The Division, and Watch Dogs. As there are so many Ubisoft franchises, it means that there are so many ‘factions’ that can be created in-game based on this universe.
As a shooter, XDefiant boasts a fast pacing that’s reminiscent of the ‘jetpack era’ of Call of Duty. It offers itself a rapid rate of play that Call of Duty fans have been missing since Modern Warfare II was released in October 2022 – and even before that.
It has fantastic potential as a game, and from what we know, there’s so much content in the pipeline.
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