Following a successful closed beta, many FPS fans have been looking forward to getting their hands on XDefiant, the brand-new, free-to-play shooter from Ubisoft.
Led by former Call of Duty developer Mark Rubin, the XDefiant release date remains a hot topic of conversation among those looking for a shooter capable of competing with the Call of Duty franchise.
After initially targeting a summer release, Rubin has now revealed that the game's launch will be delayed, following its failure to pass the console compliance tests laid out by Sony and Microsoft.
XDefiant's release has been delayed
In a blog post published on September 11, Rubin shared a wealth of information on the submission aspect of the development process, detailing that the build of the game that was submitted to first-party platforms earlier this year didn't end meeting the requirements to pass the tests.
Rubin, executive producer at Ubisoft San Francisco revealed that the issue encountered in the tests were some "compliance bugs", which he explained to be "the ones that relate to the systems and overall experiences that the first parties expect from games on their platform. (e.g. Are trophies being properly tracked, is my friend’s list being properly updated with game status, etc.)"
Although a delay is frustrating, Rubin confirmed that XDefiant could still have a "mid-to-end of September release" if a newly submitted build manages to pass the compliance tests.
- Read more: Best XDefiant guns - Weapon tier list
Alongside this possible September release, the blog also details another scenario in which a patch could be required to guarantee the game is stable for all players loading into the action. Rubin writes: "If we do need to do a Day 1 patch, then that pushes our (release) date to early/mid-October."
The idea of a mid-October launch for XDefiant is an interesting one. The Modern Warfare 3 beta takes place at the start of the month, giving players a chance to compare the two for the very first time. Can XDefiant compete with the likes of Modern Warfare 3? We'll have to wait and see.
Delaying a hotly-anticipated release isn't ideal but as Ubisoft prepares to launch a polished product, the additional development time should allow the game to pass all compliance tests.
For more XDefiant intel, check out our guides showcasing the full gun list and whether the game features crossplay capabilities.
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