What to Expect From Xdefiant's Open Beta Test

Ubisoft is angling for a portion of the twitch shooter market with its new free-to-play title, XDefiant, and the recent announcement of an open beta in late June has players eager to hop in and see what the fuss is about. Previous closed betas for XDefiant helped put the game on the map, with an impressive overall package and shooting mechanics refined enough to stand alongside its peers, and now, Ubisoft is hoping this forthcoming open beta will be its catalyst of sustained interest as XDefiant plans to launch in early access later this Summer.

Among a string of exciting announcements during the recent Ubisoft Forward was the plan for an open beta of XDefiant, allowing those sidelined during the previous closed events the chance to try the game out themselves. From June 21 to 23, players will get to take Ubisoft San Francisco's take on the exceedingly overused moniker of COD-killer for a spin. Interest is high, with the previous closed betas lauded in praise, surprising those that felt XDefiant's brand of shooter was outside the publisher's wheelhouse.

Ubisoft has a lot Riding on XDefiant

Between the unceremonious end to Hyperscape, the canceled Ghost Recon Frontline, and several other Ubisoft's live-service games on life support, the publisher is desperate for a title with some staying power, especially in the shooter genre. Folding in the IPs of its most successful franchises as playable characters in XDefiant is a shrewd decision that should hopefully onboard its millions of existing fans, as the polished mechanics and visual design keep them in the ecosystem long term. While XDefiant's imminent open beta will undoubtedly help the developers in fine-tuning the game, its higher purpose is in drumming up interest ahead of its Summer 2023 launch.

The Ubisoft Forward brought a wealth of information surrounding XDefiant's launch, putting its emphasis on customization, player abilities, and commitment to a live service model on full display. The launch announcement preceded the open beta reveal, which will be available to PC and console players for its two-day stretch, giving Ubisoft a chance to show off the product post-feedback from its closed tests and stress its servers for a gauge of what to expect at launch. Exactly how much of the full game will be available during the beta was not disclosed, though this close to release points to it being a significant portion of the game.

XDefiant Could be the Surprise Hit of 2023

XDefiant will be launching with an impressive amount of content for a free-to-play game, confirmed by its Ubisoft Forward segment to have 14 maps, 5 factions, 24 weapons, and 5 distinct game modes the day it comes out. A further promise of releasing 12 new maps, 4 new factions, and 12 new weapons across its first year solidifies the theory that Ubisoft views XDefiant as a vital part of the publisher's future, giving it the resources and marketing necessary to stand a fighting chance among the titans of the genre. While the most obvious comparison for XDefiant is Call of Duty, the factions system and player skills are more akin to Rainbow Six Siege, and the game modes bear a striking resemblance to those found in Overwatch 2, concocting an enticing blend of assorted gameplay elements from the industry's most popular shooters.

Whether its hodgepodge of influences will strike the alchemical formula for free-to-play gold that Ubisoft so ardently seeks is undetermined, but all early indications point to XDefiant having enormous potential. The open beta should reveal more about its ability to remain relevant, based not only on the level of engagement from players, but also how frustrated they are when the game goes back offline on June 23 until its launch later in the Summer.