Ubisoft has confirmed its long-awaited free-to-play first-person shooter XDefiant will begin its pre-season launch on 21 May 2024, with all players soon able to jump in. As described, XDefiant appears to be Ubisoft’s answer to Call of Duty as a “love letter to fans of classic arena shooters.”
The game has been in development at Ubisoft for several years, under the guidance of Mark Rubin, a former Call of Duty executive producer from Infinity Ward. While it’s been delayed several times over polish concerns, it now appears to be ready for its biggest test yet.
At launch, XDefiant will arrive with five different game modes played across 14 maps, with 24 available weapons (44 attachments) and five main factions inspired by classic Ubisoft franchises – The Division, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Watch Dogs, and Far Cry.
The Division-inspired faction uses fire to burn enemies, Ghost Recon‘s faction can block damage, the Watch Dogs faction can hack enemy gadgets, the Far Cry faction can provide healing support, and the Splinter Cell faction uses stealth.
Read: XDefiant is successfully filling a classic Call of Duty-shaped hole
There’s hope the array of factions and their unique abilities add that extra layer of complexity to XDefiant, allowing it the scope to exist alongside Call of Duty, while providing a fresh twist on the first-person arena shooter genre.
While there’s been mixed response from players in early beta sessions, there is a general feeling that XDefiant‘s modern flair makes it a compelling shooter, and one brimming with fresh ideas. There’s plenty of enthusiasm currently backing the title, and there’s hope this will buoy it to success, even in a crowded and highly competitive live service game market.
We’re likely to see much more of XDefiant in the coming weeks, as Ubisoft ramps up for its 21 May 2024 launch. Those keen to jump into the game will be able to download and play on PC via Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. As noted, the game is free-to-play, with microtransactions.
