Ubisoft's XDefiant: Release Window and Comparisons with Call of Duty
Ubisoft's Executive Producer Mark Rubin has announced a release window for its upcoming game, XDefiant. XDefiant, a free-to-play, first-person arena shooter, has been highly anticipated since its open beta in June which surpassed Call of Duty in Twitch viewership. Its success was further emphasized by FaZe Jev's comments, stating the game's worst map is superior to any recent COD maps.
XDefiant vs Call of Duty
However, despite these comparisons, Rubin asserted that XDefiant is not intended to overtake Call of Duty. He stated, 'This game will not “kill” Call of Duty. Only Call of Duty can kill Call of Duty. This will be a game for those players who are seeking an alternative FPS game similar to Call of Duty.'
Release Setbacks and Community Apprehension
Initially, XDefiant had a key advantage over its competitor as it was scheduled for a 'late summer' release, well before the release of Modern Warfare 3 which is slated for November 10. However, due to unknown setbacks, the game's release has been pushed back, potentially coinciding with the MW3 beta release dates, creating apprehension among the community members.
Concerns escalated when Rubin revealed that the game didn't pass after being submitted late in July. The team had spent a month working towards resubmission, expected to happen within the next two weeks. This delay could place the release of the arena shooter somewhere between mid-to-late September or early to mid-October.
This is a precarious time as it overlaps with Modern Warfare 3's private beta dates. The beta starts on October 6 and concludes with an open session from October 14-16. The XDefiant community expressed apprehension about the timing, warning developers about potentially going head-to-head with the highly popular Modern Warfare series.
Call of Duty reporter Keshav Bhat queried about how the simultaneous release with the MW3 beta would impact XDefiant. Echoing Bhat's sentiments, popular Warzone content creator FaZe Swagg mentioned, 'Not smart on their part.' Another member from the Call of Duty community, RaidAway, agreed. 'I know they said they aren’t a competitor to Call of Duty, but naturally they are. May kill the vibes off the start, I don’t know,' he added.
The future of Ubisoft's latest FPS project hangs in the balance. It is uncertain whether it will withstand the pressure and prove to be a long-lasting hit or end up being overshadowed by the launch of Modern Warfare 3.