Ubisoft’s New Free To Play Shooter Combines Splinter Cell, The Division, And Ghost Recon


Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a free to play 6v6 arena shooter that merges Splinter Cell, The Division, and Ghost Recon together.

The publisher announced the new Tom Clancy development via a gameplay video earlier this week. It describes the game as having ‘intense gunplay with personalized loadouts and specialized factions’.

Watch the gameplay trailer for yourself below!

YouTube video

XDefiant is Ubisoft’s take on what a modern 6v6 shooter should look like in 2021 – not counting Rainbow Six Siege, of course. Two teams are pitted against each other on tailor made maps that accommodate a variety of classic modes. Ubisoft specifically mentions Domination and Escort as two modes that will feature, though we can likely expect other staples like Team Deathmatch to make an appearance.

“Fast-paced firefights meets punk rock mosh pit”

A big focus is placed on the gunplay of XDefiant. Ubisoft spent a lot of time focusing on how it recreated plenty of realistic weapons that can be equipped as part of the loadout system. You’ll be able to choose between different factions and customise your weapon loadout, traits, abilities, and ultras.

The different factions all pull from different corners of the Tom Clancy universe. There’s the iconic Cleaners from The Division, as well as the Echelon which takes inspiration from Splinter Cell. It’s a mixing pot for anything and everything to do with Tom Clancy, which is quite a lot these days.

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant
Credit: Ubisoft

As the game will be free to play, XDefiant is expected to lean into a live service model. Ubisoft explains that more factions will be added to the game as it evolves, which would suggest we’ll see new maps, modes, and weapons too.

XDefiant is still in the early stages of development but the team is keen for players to begin playtesting soon. You can sign up to be part of the early testing process on Ubisoft’s website. The first wave of testing is scheduled to begin on 5th August – that’s only a couple of weeks away!

What do you make of Tom Clancy’s XDefiant so far? Let us know across our social channels.

Shop With GameByte!

Don’t forget you can find great games and more on the GameByte Shop! Our store is stocked up with the latest games, merch and accessories. We might even have a new-gen console or two! Sign up to our newsletter to be notified of our console drops, deals and more. Please note the GameByte Shop is available for UK customers only.

Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft