Ubisoft's Free-to-Play Shooter XDefiant Sets May 21 Release Date, Reveals Seasonal Roadmap

XDefiant will get a new season every three months, with each new season bringing new weapons, maps, events, and a new faction.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 3 May 2024 12:20 IST

Ubisoft's Free-to-Play Shooter XDefiant Sets May 21 Release Date, Reveals Seasonal Roadmap

Photo Credit: Ubisoft

XDefiant is a 6v6 arena shooter with faction-based abilities

Highlights

XDefiant preseason will last for six weeks before the first season begins
The game will launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X
XDefiant was delayed after failing PlayStation, Xbox certification

XDefiant, Ubisoft's free-to-play first-person shooter, finally has a release date. After hitting delays, the game's preseason will launch on May 21 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X via Ubisoft Connect. According to the studio, XDefiant will feature five different game modes across 14 maps at launch. Players will start out with 24 weapons and 44 attachments and can try out five playable factions inspired by Ubisoft franchises.

Ubisoft also provided a brief roadmap for the online shooter, detailing planned season content drops after the launch of the preseason. According to studio, the XDefiant preseason will last for six weeks before the first season begins. The game will get a new season every three months, with each new season bringing new weapons, maps, events, and a new faction.

In its first year, XDefiant will add four factions, 12 weapons and 12 maps on top of the content present at preseason launch. The five factions at launch will be based on familiar groups from Ubisoft games like Far Cry, Splinter Cell and Watch Dogs. These will include Echelon, Phantoms, Cleaners, Libertad and Dedsec (after unlocking or purchasing). The game will also launch with five modes — Domination, Hot Shot, Occupy, Escort and Zone Control.

XDefiant Closed Beta Impressions

XDefiant was delayed in September last year with the game failing its console certification with PlayStation and Xbox. The game was initially expected to launch in the summer of 2023, before certification issues pushed the likely release to October 2023. XDefiant was delayed again, with the game targeting a 2024 release window.

Ubisoft also held a closed beta in April 2023. In our impressions from the closed beta session, we found that XDefiant would likely find it difficult to stand out in a market saturated with online shooters and dominated by Call of Duty, despite its slick execution.

XDefiant Delayed After Failing PlayStation, Xbox Console Certification Test

XDefiant was first announced in 2021, promising “fast-paced 6-v-6 arena combat with faction-based abilities.” The game will go live May 21 at 10am PT/1pm ET, or 10:30 pm IST.

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XDefiant

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Genre Shooter

Platform PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Multiplayer

More Ubisoft Games

Comments

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Further reading: XDefiant, Ubisoft

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More