Call of Duty Competitor XDefiant Finally Has a Release Date

02.05.2024 - 20:40 / gamerant.com / Rainbow VI (Vi) / Mark Rubin / John Bonelli / Ubisoft

XDefiant, Ubisoft's Call of Duty rival, has finally revealed its new release date of May 21. When it was first revealed in 2021, XDefiant was met with confusion and criticism from Ubisoft fans. Since then, after several playtest periods and a beta last summer, sentiment surrounding the FPS improved, as it featured sound gunplay and engaging combat, though it ultimately wasn't as polished as Call of Duty. Despite the positive response, the title was hit with several more delays, one in October and another this past March, leaving the fate of the game up in the air.

While another FPS in Ubisoft's portfolio, XDefiant differs from Rainbow Six Siege as it aims to provide an experience similar to that of Call of Duty multiplayer. Led by former Infinity Ward producer Mark Rubin at Ubisoft San Fransisco, XDefiant mashes together the worlds of Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell, The Division, and Ghost Recon, letting fans play as members of Libertad, Dedsec, Echelon, the Phantoms, and the Cleaners, each with a unique set of characters and abilities. XDefiant's maps also take place in key locations from these popular Ubisoft franchises.

XDefiant now has what is hopefully its final release date: May 21. Ubisoft's Call of Duty competitor will become available on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and PC exclusively via Ubisoft Connect. Players can expect five game modes and 14 maps at launch, as well as a total of 24 weapons and 44 attachments to play with. Players will need to unlock several of the game's characters, including the entire Dedsec faction, by completing in-game missions.

It's strange that XDefiant seems to be abstaining from a Steam and Epic Games Store launch, at least initially, considering how popular online first-person shooters are on those platforms. Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how XDefiant's seasons will pan out. Ubisoft confirmed that players can expect a new season every three months. Whether they'll meet the expectations of the playerbase and satisfy fans will remain to be seen. Furthermore, Ubisoft's Year 1 roadmap for XDefiant promises a new faction each season. Exactly what these factions will be, and from which games is a mystery, but groups like a modernized Assassin Brotherhood from Assassin's Creedor Team Rainbow from Rainbow Six would fit right into XDefiant's current roster.

For now, FPS fans can get ready to dive into the world of all things Ubisoft when XDefiant releases on May 21. Pre-season will last six weeks before Season 1 goes live. Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzonewill be winding down by May 21; it'll be a great window for Ubisoft to try and pull Call of Duty players over to XDefiant before Season 4 of Call of Duty hits.

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