Ubisoft’s multiplayer shooter XDefiant was supposed to release in Summer 2023, but still hasn’t come out yet.
In 2023, there was a good bit of hype around Ubisoft’s XDefiant. While the game struggled to make a positive impact initially, players started warming up to the multiplayer shooter after several rounds of tests and changes to the game. An open beta last year saw interest for the game spike, with many players eagerly anticipating the announced release window of summer 2023.
However, the game still hasn’t come out and keeps being internally delayed. After pushing back the game several times, it was finally supposed to release in February 2024. That didn’t happen. A Ubisoft earnings report claims the game is set to launch until March 31, but that seems highly unlikely now as well.
Why XDefiant Keeps Getting Delayed
The once-anticipated game seems to be in some form of development limbo, according to a new report by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson. According to people working on the game, the situation is becoming more and more frustrating, as “the executive’s pursuit of trying to copy Call of Duty” is slowing development down massively.
What that means, is that the XDefiant team is apparently forced to “add pointless stuff”, which messes with the technical make-up of the game. All of this takes time to implement and adjust the game accordingly.
Mark Rubin, Executive Producer for XDefiant, has responded to this report saying that “nothing about our delay is due to any new features”. While Rubin sneak-disses the claim that XDefiant is chasing Call of Duty, he admits that implementing features from that game, like killcams, would delay the game even further. XDefiant is set to be in a polishing phase, with the team working on fixing tech issues and implementing a better online infrastructure.
We have an update coming soon. (probably this coming week) I know we've been silent because to be honest there isn't much to talk about. I know people just want to see the game ship and so do we.
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) March 23, 2024
When the game will come out is still unclear. Rubin emphasizes that the team, just like the fans, “just want to see the game ship”.
This form of development hell is starting to become a trend at Ubisoft. Skull & Bones was delayed multiple times, and only recently it was revealed that the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Jade will be pushed back as well.