Ubisoft’s iterated on theTom Clancy’suniverse numerous times, before and after the publisher acquired the rights to the franchise back in 2008. Building up a universe far beyond that of the titular author’s legacy, tons of iconic gaming franchises likeSplinter Cell,Rainbow Six, andThe Divisionwere born under the Tom Clancy name. In particular, team-based shooters in different subgenres are plentiful under Ubisoft, and now the publisher is adding another free-to-play iteration to its roster of games. EntitledTom Clancy’s XDefiant, this upcoming live service multiplayer shooter is taking a very different aesthetic approach, at least to some extent.
Even putting aside any comparisons of the game’s aesthetic, style, or atmosphere to similar concepts,XDefiantdoesn’t seem to truly emphasize its own tone in practice. Meant to be a sort-of rejection of the usual hard-boiledTom Clancy’sseries likeRainbow SixorGhost Recon,Ubisoft’s free-to-playXDefiantshooter frankly doesn’t appear to be anything resembling a “punk-rock moshpit.” Granted,Tom Clancy’s XDefiantis being designed under an adaptable live service model of which the developers are emphasizing transparency, so the game could change drastically over time. However, upon first impression,XDefiantneeds to sell players on its tone first.
Tom Clancy’s XDefiant: A “Punk Rock” Tactical Remix, Kind Of
Mixing together fast-paced,Call of Duty-esque gameplay with an ability/equipment-driven meta akin toRainbow Six Siege,XDefiantis not the usualTom Clancy’sgame that most expect. Acting as a sort-of punk-tactical remixing of theTom Clancy’suniverse,XDefiantis meant to be a flashy multiplayer shooterfull of classes and factions, with unique aesthetics and playstyles. In concept, this is by no means an inherently bad or strange direction for aTom Clancy’sstyle game. If anything, it’s a marriage of the uniquely strange style employed byFar Crygames, alongside the tight and satisfying gunplay found inRainbow Sixshooters. At least, that’s what it would be ideally.
From what’s been shown of the game thus far,XDefiantstrangely doesn’t capitalize all that much on the “punk” aesthetic it’s seemingly going for. From an overarching standpoint, the aesthetic design and attitude that the game emphasizes isn’t particularly distinctive in practice. None of the characters' designs stand out in a way that shows a unique playstyle or ability, as every character is apparently customizable utilizing a variety of options for appearance and loadout.
XDefianthas four “factions"based on the biggestTom Clancy’sfranchises, but any semblance of identity is reduced to archetypes like “Tank,” “Assault,” “Support,” and “Healer.” Some of the visual designs are neat, but they’re not tied to fixed personalities in the way thatRainbow Six Siegeemploys, or other multiplayer shooters likeApex LegendsorValorant. A high degree of character customization could ultimately compromise the game’s character and/or potential in a rebellious aesthetic or style.
Familiar but Indistinct Gunplay Hurts XDefiant’s First Impression
Gameplay forTom Clancy’s XDefiantalso suffers in a similar fashion, though not because it seems mechanically underwhelming. Rather, the gameplay seemingly lacks any distinctive characteristics that are different from other multiplayer shooter franchises. Gameplay looks an awful lot like an uninspiring mix betweenCall of Duty-style gameplay with vaguelyApex-like abilities dedicated to each faction. Tank has standard cover shields that they can shoot from, Support hasthe classic night vision/sonar googles fromSplinter Cell, Healers have AoE healing circles, and so on.XDefiantbeing reminiscent ofCall of Dutymakes Ubisoft’s take seem comparatively generic.
The prime example of comparison here is a game likeValorant. Riot’s team shooter drew plenty of comparisons toCS:GOon launch, butValorantdistinctly differs from the Valve shooter with its unique agents and abilities.Each new agent inValoranthas brought something newto the table in a way that hasn’t completely changed the gameplay dynamic, but brought the game’s meta in a unique new direction. That’s why, in comparison,XDefiantseems derivative at first glance. There were very few truly unique abilities or scenarios in the game’s reveal that haven’t been seen in another multiplayer shooter previously, which could prove problematic forXDefiant’s future.
Lack of Distinct Identity in Tom Clancy’s XDefiant Reveal
Of course, the big silver lining toXDefiant’s revealis that executive producer Mark Rubin, and creative director Jason Schroeder, both emphasized the desire for player feedback. From the get-go, it seems thatXDefiant’s post-launch support and development will be at least partially contingent on what fans think of it, which is an encouraging notion. Depending on how receptive fans are to the multiplayer shooter, things could improve (or drastically change) compared toXDefiant’s launch. Promoting both the game’s forums and Discord server on the Ubisoft website, it’s clear this game is meant to be shaped by fans, and what they want from a Ubisoft multiplayer shooter.
That being said,Tom Clancy’s XDefiantneeds to encourage fans to join that inner circle for the game in the first place. First impressions based on the game’s first trailer are tough to go by definitively, of course. However, the like-dislike ratio and YouTube comments on the trailer are still indicative of what fans' reception of the game is thus far, and they’re not all positive. That level of encouraging fan participation and desire for feedback onXDefiantis admirable on the development team’s part, but the adaptability of the game may actually be doingXDefianta disservice. There’s just not enough shown of the game to emphasize it’s identity in an enticing fashion.
Tom Clancy’s XDefiantbegins its first closed beta test on Aug 04, 2025, on PC. The full game releases on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
