It seems like Ubisoft’s XDefiant is no longer in the “Tom Clancy” universe; what does it mean for the factions?

Ubisoft seems to have dropped the “Tom Clancy’s” brand for their upcoming free-to-play 6v6 first-person shooter title, XDefiant. Besides that, the title seems to be getting a complete overhaul, as the beta registration page sports a new logo with a more sleek design as opposed to the unique graffiti art look. This has left fans questioning the title’s unconvincing direction.

Before XDefiant, Ubisoft’s “Tom Clancy” has been an iconic brand since the early ’90s. From Rainbow Six to Splinter Cell to Ghost Recon to The Division, players have witnessed many different iterations set in the universe across Ubisoft’s different armed forces-focused titles.

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With XDefiant potentially leaving the “Tom Clancy’s” universe and getting a complete overhaul, what does it mean for the different factions?

From the original Rainbow Six in 1998 to the recent Extraction this year, Tom Clancy’s brand has become synonymous with Ubisoft’s shooter titles. Named after the author who spearheaded Red Storm Entertainment and its earlier titles, Tom Clancy’s games have expanded into different franchises, with the most recent being 2016’s Division.

The free-to-play FPS title is poised to be a new direction for the franchise, as well as being one of three currently in-development free-to-play Tom Clancy’s titles, alongside Division Heartland and Ghost Recon Frontline.

XDefiant was revealed as a crossover title between the different Tom Clancy’s franchises, with it set to bring different factions from the titles together. While there have been significant crossovers between Tom Clancy’s titles, namely Sam Fisher making his way to the Ghost Recon titles as well as becoming a playable operator in Rainbow Six Siege, it was negligible compared to what the upcoming title promised.

XDefiant brought together four factions from different Tom Clancy series, namely, The Echelon (Support) from Splinter Cell, The Wolves (Tank) from Ghost Recon, The Cleaners (Assault), and The Outcasts (Healer) from The Division.

With the title moving away from the Tom Clancy brand, it is uncertain, if not unlikely, that the factions will remain the same. With a complete overhaul, it is possible that the title is taking feedback from the closed test and exploring a new direction.

Currently, interested players can sign up for Insider Sessions across seven different platforms, that being the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and Windows PC via Ubisoft Connect.