Ubisoft’s latest free-to-play shooter XDefiant gets cross-play test this week

XDefiant, the former free-to-play shooter branded by Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy, is holding another closed Insider Test later this week, marking the first time that cross-platform play will be available on consoles and PC.

XDefiant – previously described as a 6v6 mashup of Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and The Division – was originally announced in 2021 as Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, and its cheeky specialists – for straying too far from the more serious military themes and formulas of the franchise.

Since then, Ubisoft has quietly continued development of XDefiant, occasionally opening the game to registered “insiders” to gather player feedback. The final closed Insider session runs from Thursday 16th February to Sunday 19th February (Monday 20th in the UK) and is the first to allow for crossplay between PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Over the course of the test, players will have four game modes available – Escort, Zone Control, Domination and Occupy – with maps such as Attica Heights, Arena, Dumbo, Emporium, Liberty, Mayday, Meltdown, Midway, Nudleplex, Showtime, Times Square, and Zoo the new Pueblito. Insider tests are held under non-disclosure agreements, but if that doesn’t put you off, it’s still possible to register via Ubisoft’s website to attend future sessions.

XDefiant is, of course, the latest in a series of Ubisoft attempts at a free-to-play hit. So far, however, success has been limited; Sci-fi battle royale game Hyper Scape was taken offline last year after a staggering 18 months, while Roller Champions carries on despite rumors of an imminent demise. Other free-to-play Ubisoft projects – including The Division Heartlands – are long overdue, while even more, like Ghost Recon Frontline, have been awarded ahead of release. It remains to be seen how XDefiant will fare.

Ubisoft faced a challenging start to 2023 as the publisher had already canceled three unannounced games after disappointing financial results for its most recent quarter – a situation that would lead to “heightened caution in the coming years”.