Ubisoft announces Tom Clancy's XDefiant, a fast-paced free-to-play FPS with classes from other Tom Clancy games

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant is Ubisoft’s latest offering into the multiplayer first-person shooter genre of games. The fast-paced 6v6 shooter will be free-to-play. This marks Ubisoft’s foray into the free-to-play multiplayer space with a AAA title.

Tom Clancy's XDefiant announced- 6v6 arena shooter- free-to-play- includes Tom Clancy games characters- first test on August 5 for PC players (US, Canada)https://t.co/nY2hj7A7kX pic.twitter.com/hKAePFvXsL

— Nibel (@Nibellion) July 19, 2021

The classes in Tom Clancy’s XDefiant are called Defiants. In this arena shooter, players can choose among a roster of four classes - Wolves, Outcasts, Cleaners, and Echelon. Ubisoft mentioned that more classes will be added as the game evolves, drawing on a range of characters and abilities from the Clancy universe and beyond.

Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco, Tom Clancy’s XDefiant puts realistic gunplay as its prime focus, with class-based abilities sprinkled on top.

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant: is it Ubisoft’s attempt at capturing the esports FPS market?

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant will be coming to PC, PS4, XBox One, PS5, and XBox Series X/S. In the reveal trailer, XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin and creative director Jason Schroeder emphasized the fact that realistic gunplay is the main aspect of the game.

With crisp gunplay and class-based abilities, Tom Clancy’s XDefiant is going to compete with other titles with similar focus - Riot’s Valorant and Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 being the most notable in this segment.

In this 6v6 multiplayer first-person arena shooter, it is “fast-paced firefights meets punk-rock mosh pit.” Players can personalize their Defiants to match their playstyle. Weapons and device customization are also important aspects of the game, according to the reveal trailer.

Welcome to the party!Introducing Tom Clancy’s #XDefiant, a free-to-play, fast-paced arena FPS from Ubisoft San Francisco.Visit https://t.co/nvT05LZSEE to watch the full reveal and register for a chance to play early!

— PlayXDefiant (@PlayXDefiant) July 19, 2021

For now, Ubisoft has announced two game modes for Tom Clancy’s XDefiant - Domination and Escort. They also mentioned the game featuring “a large pool of uniquely designed maps”.

Although Ubisoft hasn’t provided a release date for the game yet, players can register themselves at playxdefiant.com to become participants of a closed test. The first closed test for Tom Clancy’s XDefiant begins on August 5 for PC players in the US and Canada, with more tests on more platforms and regions after it.

Fans have been anticipating a Splinter Cell title from Ubisoft for a long time. However, they will have to be content for now with this multiplayer free-to-play FPS set in Tom Clancy’s crossover universe.