Ubisoft has officially announced the launch date and details for its free-to-play Call of Duty style shooter, XDefiant.
As they explained on their website, XDefiant launches with a preseason, starting on May 21, 2024, at 10 AM PT. Six weeks later, the game will start is rotation of seasons.
The preseason will come with the same content that testers got to play through the beta. That includes the content listed below:
Factions:
- Echelon
- Phantoms
- Cleaners
- Libertad
- Dedsec
Maps:
- Arena
- Attica Heights
- Dumbo
- Echelon HQ
- Emporium
- Liberty
- Mayday
- Meltdown
- Midway
- Nudleplex
- Pueblito
- Showtime
- Times Square
- Zoo
Modes:
- Domination
- Hot Shot
- Occupy
- Escort
- Zone Control
The only catch for this list is that Dedsec isn’t available to players from the start, and has to be unlocked or purchased. All the rewards from the Server Test Session and Insider Sessions will also be available.
So, players who didn’t get in on any of the open beta periods have their chance to catch up to those players for the next six weeks. But aside from that, the XDefiant team has added something new.
In preparation for the launch of XDefiant’s Ranked Mode, the game will also launch with a playlist, made up of 4v4 versions of Domination, Occupy, Escort, and Zone Control.
And Ubisoft has the next year planned out as well. Each season will come with a new faction, namely, Ruby, Buzz, Orchard, and Horde. Aside from that, each new season will add 3 weapons, 3 maps, and 90 tier battle passes.
Aside from all that, they are planning arena and progression modes, and private matches on top of Ranked Mode. The XDefiant team will also keep working to ‘keep the competition fair,’ AKA, to check for cheaters, and also add a Welcome List for beginners, to add to the Practice Zones.
After the long wait and the growing negative coverage of alleged issues behind the scenes, it is finally put up or shut up time for Ubisoft. People saw XDefiant as being in the same boat as The Finals, of being a promising new online multiplayer shooter franchise. The Finals was a hit, but rapidly lost its appeal To its own fans, many of whom are now looking to Ubisoft’s new title.
Sony notoriously said that EA’s Battlefield franchise “cannot keep up” with Call of Duty, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that Activision’s position in this particular genre cannot be challenged. Maybe Ubisoft has found the secret sauce, we’re about to find out.
