Ubisoft is delving deeper into the Clancyverse with Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a free-to-play game it revealed on Monday. The first-person multiplayer shooter will pit teams of six characters (or Defiants) against each other across several game modes. There’s a focus on gunplay, though you’ll also be able to harness traits, abilities and “ultras” — which seem similar to ultimates in other games — based on the faction you’re using.
XDefiant is a bit of a crossover between Ubisoft’s various Clancy franchises. The initial set of factions include the Wolves (inspired by Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon), Echelon (Splinter Cell) and the Outcasts and Cleaners (The Division). More Defiants will be added to the game later, and will draw from a variety of characters and abilities “from the Tom Clancy universe … and beyond,” Ubisoft said.
Ubisoft San Francisco is developing XDefant, which the creative leads said features “fast-paced firefights meet punk rock moshpits.” You can customize your Defiant’s loadout (including a primary and secondary weapons, attachments and device). You’ll be able to modify your setup when you respawn to help you adjust to what’s happening in a match. It sounds like there will be ways for both casual and competitive players to get the most out of the game too.
There are clear echoes of Overwatch and Valorant here, with plenty Clancyverse flavor thrown in. Executive producer Mark Rubin previously worked on Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty games, and there’s some obvious DNA from that franchise in XDefiant as well.
XDefiant is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna and Ubisoft Connect with full cross-play expected at the outset. The game’s still fairly early in development, but Ubisoft’s already inviting the public to try it. The first public PC test starts on August 5th, and you can sign up through the XDefiant website for a chance to take part.