While some of the more recent entries continue the modern and near-future militaristic settings, Ubisoft has explored other venues as well. Case in point, Rainbow Six Extraction. After the success of the limited-time event in Rainbow Six Siege, Outbreak, Ubisoft made an entire game out of it, telling the story of how a team of three attempts to fight back against what looks like an alien threat. Now, Ubisoft is taking cues from another shooter to create a new Tom Clancy game.
From Project BattleCat to XDefiant
In June, rumors of a new Tom Clancy game circulated. Leakers claimed that Ubisoft was working on a first-person multiplayer shooter that would have brought together factors from Splinter Cell, The Division, and Ghost Recon in a game that worked very similarly to Blizzard’s hero-shooter, Overwatch. Fast forward to today and the said rumors, which were speculated to go under the name of Project BattleCat, have been confirmed. Just a day after Ubisoft teased the new Tom Clancy game, we now have information about its name and what it is all about.
Tune in at 11AM PT / 8PM CEST for the worldwide reveal of a brand-new game in the Tom Clancy’s universe. — Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) July 18, 2021 The new FPS title will be called XDefiant and is currently in development at Ubisoft San Francisco. It is a free-to-play title that will pit two teams composed of six players each with four different factions to choose from: the Outcasts and Cleaners from The Division, Echelon from Splinter cell, and the Wolves from Ghost Recon. For now, players can only choose from these four factions, which will come with their own distinct set of abilities and skills that players can personalize. The official reveal trailer for XDefiant highlights two game modes: Escort and Domination. According to Ubisoft, XDefiant will come with a vast pool of unique and distinct maps that players can choose from to make each match feel different. What’s more interested players won’t have to wait too long to find out how XDefiant will play like. The main XDefiant website details a beta test that’s open for registration and will kick off on August 5. Judging by the overall positive reception, it’s safe to say that Ubisoft’s plan to divert attention from the delay of Rainbow Six Extraction is a success. As for when XDefiant will release, Ubisoft has no planned release date for the game just yet. It seems like they are taking the safe approach this time, having learned much from the failed launches of The Division and Siege. The studio wants to use player feedback to make sure that the game is a success right from the start.
