The gaming giant, Ubisoft, has made a comeback to the FPS genre with its latest game, XDefiant, which has surpassed Call of Duty: Warzone on Twitch streaming. Though the game is in its limited beta stages, Ubisoft' s XDefiant has already made waves and is being hailed by fans as a likely competitor to Call of Duty.XDefiant is offering several features that Call of Duty has been lacking in recent games. Call of Duty fans have been requesting certain features to be added to Call of Duty's prior games for years. Ubisoft has been working hard to build hype around XDefiant in the lead-up to its official launch, providing keys to some streamers, and offering prizes to those who watched the streams, including the official broadcast event. The game was originally titled Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, however, later Tom Clancy’s name was dropped. Within two days of the closed beta's launch, XDefiant became one of the top Twitch streams, drawing around 50k viewers and surpassing the combined popularity of Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2. While the figures are close, XDefiant is currently enjoying a comfortable lead with 45k Twitch viewers. Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 only manage to hold on to 27.5k and 9.4k viewers, respectively.
"This is really harsh. Warzone and MW2 combined have fewer views than the XDefiant Closed Beta," said one player. Many say that the game is receiving the attention it deserves as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has faced several glitches causing an outrage from fans. Gamers are wowed by the entertaining "arcade-like" gameplay that also evokes a sense of nostalgia. Plus, many are especially excited about the game's quick and smooth mobility, an abundance of brightly colored maps, and skill-based matchmaking.
XDefiant was revealed in 2021, offering fast gameplay improvements that maintain realistic gunplay, which has piqued the imagination of the FPS player base. XDefiant's popularity is a testament to Ubisoft's commitment to open contact with players. The developers have been listening to fan feedback and incorporating it into the game, which has helped to build hype around XDefiant. The game's trio-squad shooter format has also proven to be popular, attracting more players to the game.
With its unique features similar to Overwatch, the game appears well-positioned to give Call of Duty some competition. Many in the gaming community are eagerly awaiting the game's official launch later this year, though it remains to be seen whether XDefiant can maintain its current momentum in the face of stiff competition from established franchises as some have even hinted this could be just a honeymoon phase.
XDefiant is currently in development.