In a sad turn of events, Ubisoft’s developers have announced yet another delay of XDefiant. It was just a few weeks ago that XDefiant was delayed owing to complications in the publishing process, but now, it has been postponed again. This time, there’s no suggestion regarding a new release date – or even a window. It has been pushed back following a successful public test that left fans impressed with the state of the game, so this delay comes as a surprise.

In the statement released by Ubisoft, it was suggested that the delay has been introduced because of ‘inconsistencies in the game’ that may or may not have surfaced in the most recent test. It’s tough news, but it’s likely a tactical decision too. Originally, the rumour was that XDefiant was going to release at the height of the Call of Duty schedule, mere days before the launch of Modern Warfare 3.

Was It A Strategic Decision?

Image Credit: Ubisoft

If XDefiant were to launch in the coming weeks, it would find itself challenged immeasurably by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It was originally rumoured that XDefiant would be released on October 17th, then this was updated and the rumours suggested Ubisoft was targeting the 28th of October. Now, it seems like the game may have been moved out of 2024 altogether, given the complete lack of information given by the team in an update posted to Twitter:

‘… It also surfaced some inconsistencies in the game experience that we need to address prior to launching our Preseason. So, we’ve had the hard decision to delay the Preseason of XDefiant. The team will continue working to address these issues and testing them to make sure we deliver on our goal of being a best-in-class arcade shooter. We will share more information about Preseason and testing as it comes.

Thanks again for your support – we’re working hard to make something really special and we couldn’t do it without your support.’

However, despite the grateful and overall positive sentiment, players from the most casual competitors to the pro gamers are now very concerned about XDefiant. In one comment, a user wrote simply, ‘Ok, now I’m very concerned about this game.’ In another line, a user suggested, ‘I think this game was announced too early.’

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When Will XDefiant Release?

If I’m going to offer up my two cents, I’d suggest that XDefiant is pushed back to 2024. It’s usually around springtime that Call of Duty’s player count starts dropping off, and XDefiant could swoop in and secure the players getting tired of this year’s Call of Duty game. There’s no guarantee that’ll happen with Modern Warfare 3, which looks as sharp as possible, but it’s the tradition. There’s no sense in launching in what’s left of October, and November is no man’s land for shooters.

In the months of December and January, it’s expected that the Call of Duty League and Ranked Play will hit Modern Warfare 3, so again, it’s tough to introduce another shooter while that hype is playing out. It’s honestly best to wait until February or even March to deploy XDefiant, I think.

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