[Discussion] XDefiant: The "Call of Duty Killer" Making Waves in the FPS Scene

[Uncrowned Guard]

The Call of Duty franchise is facing choppy seas as another seasonal update fails to impress, and a new contender enters the first-person shooter (FPS) arena. With numerous titles circling like hungry sharks, the first game to strike appears to have already sunk its teeth into Call of Duty's weakening grip.

Ubisoft's XDefiant, supported by former Call of Duty designers, has quickly earned the nickname "CoD killer" as its Closed Beta test wows FPS veterans. Led by ex-Treyarch luminary Mark Rubin and eight Call of Duty esports stars, XDefiant brings back fan-favorite features that have been sorely missed in recent iterations. Boasting vibrant visuals, red dots on mini-maps, 14 mode-specific maps with a voting system, and a classic weapon lineup featuring fan-favorite guns, XDefiant has swiftly captured the hearts of CoD enthusiasts.

Remarkably, the beta version of XDefiant offers more maps than Modern Warfare 2, despite being three seasons into its lifecycle. Gamers are already hailing XDefiant as a superior alternative to the current Call of Duty model. This free-to-play title further outshines its rival by excluding skill-based matchmaking and promising a Ranked mode in Season 1. However, only time will tell if XDefiant truly becomes the next big thing or simply away like past games that tried to overtake the throne.

XDefiant leads the charge in the emerging wave of arcade shooters, with Deadrop receiving mixed feedback in its pre-Alpha stage, 100Thieves developing their own FPS, and another former Call of Duty studio (Wildlight Entertainment) crafting a potential challenger. As the FPS landscape shifts, it remains to be seen if Call of Duty can regain its footing or succumb to the rising tide of competition.

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[Heatman]

With what's been said about XDefiant, it looks like there's a very good reason for me to consider being hopeful again with the COD franchise because I have actually decided to take a break from it till something good start happening with their new releases. 

[Shortie]

I have heard so many good reviews regarding XDefiant, gutted I have been unable to play it as my PC is not strong enough and I am not on the Xbox Series X or S so I have missed out.

From what I am hearing, it's how people wanted Call of Duty to be and it's like a breath or fresh air to play. I myself moved away from Call of Duty after ending up both burned out and disappointed by releases over the last few years but XDefiant does look promising. 

[Heatman]

On 4/23/2023 at 4:57 PM, Shortie said:

I have heard so many good reviews regarding XDefiant, gutted I have been unable to play it as my PC is not strong enough and I am not on the Xbox Series X or S so I have missed out.

From what I am hearing, it's how people wanted Call of Duty to be and it's like a breath or fresh air to play. I myself moved away from Call of Duty after ending up both burned out and disappointed by releases over the last few years but XDefiant does look promising. 

I don't have Xbox Series X but a friend of mine does and he's just 45 minutes drive from my home. Maybe one of these weekends, I would make out time to visit him and play the game. I'm sure he's got it already because he's a big fan of Call of Duty franchise.