And it doesn’t - the aesthetics, powers and shooting are all vastly different from that game’s home series. Perhaps I should try playing one of the Echelon spies.” I didn’t expect the gameplay to be exactly similar, but I was hoping it would at least have the same sort of vibe, for lack of a better term. This also means that any differences between the factions, in terms of character and design if not gameplay, has been diluted.įor example, I thought while loading up the preview, “Hey, I like Splinter Cell. However, all of them felt similar during gameplay, and this is in part due to the fact that some of these characters are not from FPSes. These include the Phantoms from Ghost Recon, Echelon from Splinter Cell, Yaran rebels from Far Cry, Cleaners from The Division and DedSec hackers from Watch Dogs.Įach hero comes with their own abilities based on their home titles - Echelon spies can go invisible or use their goggles to spy enemies, for example. Ubisoft first announced the game in 2021, when it was called “Tom Clancy’s XDefiant.” It’s a multiplayer first-person shooter, where each player selects a character from a faction based on one of Ubisoft’s franchises. While it’s no longer branded as such, XDefiant still carries a heavy Clancy vibe that smothers its charms. I got the chance to play XDefiant, and one impression I formed is that Ubisoft is hamstringing itself by keeping the game so Tom Clancy-flavored.

XDefiant is Ubisoft’s latest multiplayer title, a first-person hero-ish shooter that throws together characters from its multiple franchises into one big arena. Players can register here if they want to get in on the action.We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Summit Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of 'Playing the Edge.' Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. As of right now, the tests are limited to PC, but Ubisoft encourages everyone to sign up as it will eventually expand to consoles. Ubisoft also announced new insider sessions for XDefiant meaning players can register to test the game. It's unclear which characters will be included, but it seems likely Ubisoft will pull from franchises like Watch Dogs.

Ubisoft confirmed to Axios's Stephen Totilo that the Tom Clancy characters will still remain in the game. Now, Ubisoft is dropping Tom Clancy's name from the XDefiant title after revealing the game will have characters outside of the Clancy IP. The reason Tom Clancy's name was attached was because the game features characters and settings from Ubisoft's various Tom Clancy-branded titles. Clancy's name has been used as a label for tons of original Ubisoft games, unrelated to his novels, but this stuck out more due to the whimsical tone and intense color scheme. Given late author Tom Clancy made his name by writing stories about espionage, tactical teams of soldiers, and more, XDefiant came off as a strange way to invoke his name. Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy's XDefiant to mixed reception in 2021, some felt it didn't separate itself from other shooters on the market like Call of Duty and others thought that the Tom Clancy branding was inappropriate for the less self-serious tone of the game. Ubisoft's XDefiant is making a significant change to its name.

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