Yesterday came a surprise announcement from Ubisoft stating that today there would be a live event to reveal a newTom Clancy’sgame. Many fans of the series hoped would be a sequel or reboot for theSplinterCellfranchise, but this wasn’t the case. The new game is calledTom Clancy’s XDefiant, a 6v6 arena combat first-person shooter with varied loadouts and abilities depending on faction. There are four factions in the game, and they are each inspired by othergames set in theTom Clancyuniverse, comprising ofSplinterCell,GhostRecon, andThe Division.
The one faction based onSplinter Cellis the Echelon, labeled as a support class that can manipulate information in a few ways such as gaining invisibility. Then, there are the Wolves fromGhost Recongames, who are naturally prone to be good tanks and can create barriers that soak up damage while allowing allied players to shoot through them. Both the Cleaners and the Outcasts are based on existing factions inUbisoft’sTheDivision, with the former being an assault class with a natural affinity for setting enemies on fire, and the latter being capable with guns and healing devices.
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What Tom Clancy’s XDefiant Offers
Tom Clancy’s XDefiantis not something the community is new to, as there were leaks about a game calledBattleCatwhich was supposed to feature locations and characters from differentTom Clancy’sgames. That is precisely whatXDefiantdoes with its faction system, and the maps shown in fragments of gameplay do have elements from other games from Ubisoft. For example, there is a New York map with plenty of elements coming fromThe Divisionand more like it, all mixed with technicolor and both indoors and outdoors sections for more a varied gameplay experience.
Furthermore, the general tone forTom Clancy’s XDefiantis those of a rebellious generation, and this is a conscious decision on Ubisoft’s part to make the title different from other, more serious and darkerTom Clancy’sgames. This is yet another way forTom Clancy’s XDefiantto be something different than the rest of the games set in theTom Clancyuniverse, with another reason being that the classes, or “Defiants,” will also be expanded with new additions. These extra classes are something that Ubisoft plans to make based on otherTom Clancy’sgames, but there is the option of adding more factions that go beyond those titles and maybe delve into other universes created by Ubisoft.
EvenUbisoft’s approach is different from the get-go, as the studio openly stated that this is a game made to last for years. All sorts of possible improvements and updates will come to this game, rather than Ubisoft abandoning it and crafting another from scratch, all while listening closely to the community’s feedback. Ubisoft wants to be very transparent with the way the game is going to be handled in the future, and there supposedly won’t be things the studio will be keeping the community in the dark about.
Ubisoft admitted in advance that it will make mistakes, and that’swhy the community’s support is so important. Overall, with Ubisoft’s stance and the wayTom Clancy’s XDefiantwill slowly be coming to life, it seems like something unique and new, despite the fact it uses familiar faces and locations.
Tom Clancy’s XDefiantis in development for Luna, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
