XDefiant Dev Denies Claims That the Game Is Being Delayed Because of Call of Duty

A Ubisoft executive has denied a newly emerged report suggesting that XDefiant is being delayed because of Call of Duty. The official also offered a minor status update on XDefiant as part of the move.

Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter was first announced in July 2021 as Tom Clancy’s XDefiant before rebranding itself to just XDefiant come May 2022. Since then, the game has undergone multiple closed and open beta tests, but has also failed to hit a number of release date targets. Ubisoft last said it plans to launch it by the end of its current fiscal year, which concludes on March 31. But with one week left until the end of that deadline and no official news in sight, the shooter now seems poised to miss that release window as well.

XDefiant Isn’t Chasing Call of Duty, Producer Says

A March 23 report from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson alleged that the game’s troubled development is at least partially to blame on Ubisoft’s insistence to keep adding Call of Duty elements to XDefiant, citing people familiar with the matter. One source was quoted as saying that “the never-ending hunt to chase COD and add pointless stuff always breaks the current build.” XDefiant director and producer, Mark Rubin, denied that claim in a subsequent tweet, characterizing it as a “major eyeroll [sic].”

The move prompted Henderson to double down on his report, having done so by quoting an excerpt from it that urges fans not to take XDefiant status updates at face value because they don’t “reflect what’s truly going on.” The perception that Ubisoft’s upcoming shooter is trying to copy Activision’s hit franchise was already voiced by some fans in the past, not least because XDefiant kept revealing new Call of Duty-like features.

More Official XDefiant News Coming ‘Soon’

Responding to some subsequent fan questions on social media, Rubin said the developers have lately been silent because “there isn’t much to talk about.” Elaborating on that point, the executive asserted that the latest delay had nothing to do with new XDefiant features and was solely focused on fixing critical bugs and revamping the game’s social system. That undertaking is now close to completion, with Rubin revealing that Ubisoft San Francisco will “soon” share a new detailed update on the game’s status, which will “probably” happen during the final week of March.

Online chatter over Henderson’s report and Rubin’s subsequent comments appears to be fairly polarizing; some fans have voiced their frustrations with the game’s repeated delays following this development, while others opined that waiting for a good game is preferable to playing an unfinished product early. In spite of its development roadblocks, XDefiant still appears to be one of the most highly anticipated upcoming free-to-play games.

XDefiant

Ubisoft’s XDefiant is an online PvP shooter that focuses on fast-paced team-based gameplay. Taking inspiration from the publisher’s popular IPs, the game features factions and characters that represent franchises like Splinter Cell and Far Cry. Available on most modern systems, XDefiant is a free-to-play project.

Developer(s)

Ubisoft San Francisco

Engine

Snowdrop

ESRB

T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence