Ubisoft, the French publisher behind Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, released a multiplayer-only first-person shooter called XDefiant earlier this year. Dubbed a "Call of Duty killer" by some, the game got off to a pretty strong start across all the platforms it was released on. It garnered 1 million unique players in just two and a half hours, and became Ubisoft's fastest-played game of all time, an impressive feat for a free-to-play title like this one. XDefiant was even one of the top 10 most-played games on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in the month of its release, beating out evergreen titles like Rainbow Six: Siege and Roblox.
The success of XDefiant didn't last long, however. By August 2024, rumors began to circulate that Ubisoft was considering shutting down its newly-released FPS due to a dramatic decline in concurrent player counts. While some developers at the company fervently denied these claims, they were ultimately proven true in December that year. Indeed, Ubisoft officially confirmed that XDefiant would be shuttered in June 2025, only a year after its initial launch. Development for the game would be discontinued as well, Ubisoft said, but its then-upcoming third season would be launched as initially planned. After it was finally released on December 18, XDefiant Season 3 received positive feedback from fans, but it arguably came out at far too late a time to make a noticeable impact.
With XDefiant's Days Numbered, One Ubisoft Franchise Should Fill the Void
Now that XDefiant is headed toward an early grave, Ubisoft has the opportunity to use one of its biggest franchises in its place.
XDefiant's Assassin's Creed Update is Arriving At the Wrong Time
XDefiant's Season 3 is Overstuffed With New Content
XDefiant's third and final season is significantly larger in scope than the game's previous updates because it includes content that would've been included in subsequent seasons. This patch is primarily themed around a new faction called the Assassins. Inspired by the titular characters from Assassin's Creed, the Assassins give players a more tactical approach to combat. Players who select the Assassin faction in a given playthrough will have access to various abilities, such as the Hidden Blade, Cherry Bomb, Eagle Vision, and Apple of Eden.
Hidden Blades allow players to kill enemies with one melee hit, and Cherry Bombs knock out targets in a selected location. Eagle Vision, meanwhile, gives users the ability to track down their enemies, while Apple of Eden grants players the option to teleport next to other players for a limited time.
In addition to the Assassins, the final update for XDefiant includes two other factions, one of which is based on the Wolves from Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, while the other is inspired by the Omega Force from Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Season 3 also brings with it a bucketload of new arenas, modes, progression systems, cosmetics, and bug fixes, too many to list in just a few paragraphs. One of the biggest highlights of the update, though, is the Enchanted Forest map, which has an entire collectathon-inspired mode that pays tribute to Rayman Legends.
Some of the New Content Ubisoft Added to XDefiant Should've Been Released Earlier
Considering how much content is packed into XDefiant's third season, it's evident that the FPS wasn't meant to be closed down anytime soon. Ubisoft's decision to shutter XDefiant and delist it from all digital storefronts without warning (thus making XDefiant inaccessible to those who hadn't previously downloaded it) is a major disappointment, especially for those that had hoped the "Call of Duty killer" would have lasted for a longer period of time.
The developers at Ubisoft clearly had a lot of passion for XDefiant, as the high-quality content in Season 3 indicates, but perhaps they should have released some of these features at an earlier date. If XDefiant really was struggling so badly in the months after its launch, then maybe Ubisoft should've added a portion of the content from Season 3 beforehand to resuscitate interest in the game. Instead, the publisher decided to abandon the first-person shooter without giving it one more chance. It's unfortunate how the situation unfolded for XDefiant, but at least fans can enjoy its new content before it gets shut down next year.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 51%
- Released
- May 21, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft San Francisco
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- Snowdrop
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
XDefiant is a free-to-play, first-person online arena shooter where you compete in fast-paced clashes. With cross-play available at launch, you will be able to play with friends on a variety of platforms.
Season 1 introduces the Team Rainbow operators of GS-Kommando leveraging their counter-terrorism training to disrupt their enemies. They can deploy electrified barbed wire for area denial, counter incoming enemy devices with their Active Defense System, and dazzle multiple foes with flash charges mounted on their G52-Tactical Shield.
While GS-Kommando operators pride themselves on using non-lethal force whenever possible, they are as capable on the battlefield as any spec ops group.
Customized Loadouts: Choose from a large arsenal of weapons, attachments, and devices to optimize the way you play. Combine any weapon with any faction, and unlock new options as you play to perfect your playstyle.
Factions: Factions are drawn from iconic Ubisoft worlds and represent distinct classes, each with unique abilities and ultras. Choose any character from any faction to assemble your team of six players. Change your faction at any point during play to adapt to your strategy.
Maps, Modes, and Mayhem: Play in a diverse range of 14 maps at launch across several different arena and linear modes including Zone Control, Escort, Occupy, and more. Fight in casual matches or climb the tiers in competitive ranked mode.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
