Ubisoft is working on a competitive shooter with heroes and special abilities. XDefiant does not invent its classes, however, but uses games like Splinter Cell and The Division from the Tom Clancy universe. The publisher's actual niche, however, is a free-to-play model and some realism.
The Tom Clancy figures are condensed into characters in XDefiant that Ubisoft “ Defiants ”and gathers four factions that serve as classes. At the start there are Wolves (Ghost Recon), Echelon (Splinter Cell) as well as Outcasts and Cleaners (The Division) in the game, which represent the roles of Tank, Healer, Support and Assault.
Heroes with real weapons
Each faction is said to have unique skills and traits, but the game's focus is gunplay, explains Ubisoft. Regardless of the class, each player can choose a primary and secondary weapon, associated attachments and a gadget. These can be changed before re-entry. Despite superhero skills, there is an arsenal of real weapons in the game.
This is where XDefiant differs from Overwatch and Valorant, which move much more in fictional paths. The shooter does not completely do without tongue-in-cheek comic style: The name contains the emoticon “XD”, which depicts a smiling face. The fight is in teams of six in arenas, but also game modes with a fixed goal. Ubisoft calls Team Deathmatch, Domination and Escort.
The release is planned for the PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One, Series X | S as well as Luna, Stadia and the PC. Cross-play support across all platforms will be available at the time of publication. This concept makes sense for a free-to-play game, since the amount of game time and in-game purchases correlate, so accessibility and the number of available players are decisive factors.
Costs unclear
Ubisoft leaves one crucial point open: Like the publisher Want to earn money, was excluded from the presentation. On the basis of other Ubisoft games, at least the sale of skins, characters and boosters that shorten the grind can be assumed, and a BattlePass, which is an indispensable part of this segment, should also be mandatory XDefiant can be tested from August. Then players from the USA and Canada will complete a closed test on the PC, other regions will follow shortly afterwards, promises Ubisoft. Registration for the test is possible on the XDefiant homepage.