After months of silence regarding its upcoming online shooterXDefiant, Ubisoft San Francisco has provided new details about an upcoming cross-play test for the free-to-play title. Originally titledTom Clancy’s XDefiant,Tom Clancy’s name was dropped fromXDefiantafter the game’s developers went silent following a closed playtest in 2021.
Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco,XDefiantwas revealed in 2021and was set to bring together characters from across Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy universe of games into a fast-paced arena shooter. Early gameplay trailers showed a title that drew heavy inspiration from Blizzard’s mega-hitOverwatchand featured playable factions drawn fromThe Division,Splinter Cell, andGhost Recon: Breakpoint. News about the IP-mixing free-to-play shooter dried up following a closed playtest ofXDefiantand the removal of the Tom Clancy branding from the title, leaving some gamers to wonder if the game would ever see the light of day.
RELATED:The Division 2 Delays Season 11 Start Date
Following months of silence about the free-to-play shooter, Ubisoft San Francisco has announced that a Cross-Play Insider Session forXDefiantwill be held later this month. Taking place from February 16 until the morning of February 20, the test will let players enjoy online matches across the Escort, Zone Control, Domination, and Occupy game modes. While the game no longer features Tom Clancy branding, one detail of the playtest makes it clear that other popular Ubisoft franchises will still play a prominent role in the game. After explaining the point of the playtest, the announcement states that the cross-play session will feature a new map, Pueblito, set on the tropicalisland of Yara fromFar Cry 6.
The Ubisoft announcement states that the focus of the playtest will be on the “Cross-Play and console experience” and will be available to eligible participants on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. As the title is still in development, Ubisoft San Francisco is requiring all test participants to sign an NDA, which prohibits players from sharing screenshots, videos, or other media from the playtest online. While participants in theXDefiantplaytest may not be able to share screenshots of their best matches in the upcoming shooter, at least Ubisoft is rewarding those who take part with an emoji pack that will ostensibly be usable in-game whenXDefiantlaunches.
While details are still scarce about what exactly players can expect from this reworked and rebranded version ofXDefiant, more competition in the free-to-play shooter space is something many gamers are sure to welcome. And if recent leaks are to be believed,XDefiantcould make a great addition to the possible arrival ofUbisoft+ on Xbox Game Passwhenever the unique shooter eventually releases.
XDefiantis currently in development.
MORE:Ubisoft Sending Auto-Refunds on Skull and Bones Preorders is a Bad Sign for its Future
