Ubisoft's free-to-play first-person shooter XDefiant finally has a release date. After hitting delays, the game's preseason will launch on May 21st on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X via Ubisoft Connect. According to the studio, XDefiant will feature five different game modes across 14 maps at launch. Players will start with 24 weapons and 44 accessories and will be able to try out five playable factions inspired by Ubisoft franchises.
Ubisoft also provided a brief roadmap for the online shooter, detailing the planned content drops for the season after the preseason launch. According to the study, the XDefiant preseason will last six weeks before the first season begins. The game will have a new season every three months, and each new season will bring new weapons, maps, events, and a new faction.
In its first year, XDefiant will add four factions, 12 weapons and 12 maps to the pre-season launch content. The five factions at launch will be based on well-known groups of Ubisoft games such as Far Cry, Splinter Cell and Watch Dogs. These will include Echelon, Phantoms, Cleaners, Libertad and Dedsec (after unlocking or purchase). The game will also launch with five modes: Domination, Hot Shot, Occupy, Escort and Zone Control.
XDefiant was delayed in September last year because the game did not certify its console with PlayStation and Xbox. The game was initially expected to launch in the summer of 2023, before certification issues pushed the likely launch to October 2023. XDefiant was delayed again, with the game targeting a launch window of 2024.
Ubisoft also ran a closed beta in April 2023. In our impressions of the closed beta session, we found that XDefiant would likely struggle to stand out in a saturated online shooter market dominated by Call of Duty , despite its elegant execution.
XDefiant was first announced in 2021, promising “fast-paced 6v6 combat with faction-based abilities.” The game will be released on May 21st at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET, or 10:30 PM IST.
