While Ubisoft has been adamant in stating that XDefiant will launch sometime in “summer,” it seems that could be changing. In a new XDefiant release date update, it’s now been revealed that the free-to-play shooter now has two likely release scenarios depending on certification.
In a new message by XDefiant Executive Producer Mark Rubin, he explains the submission process and also talks about where XDefiant is in all this. According to Rubin, they are currently in the “CM prep part of that process” and will hopefully submitting to first-parties (Sony, Xbox) in a little less than two weeks. If that pans out, players can look forward to a mid to end of September release. However, if the game gets a “conditional pass” that requires more fixes and compliance, then chances are, XDefiant will launch in early to mid-October with a Day One update in tow.
For those wondering why there’s no release date, here’s the explanation from Rubin:
So why no firm release date?
If we were following the standard rules for game releases, we would have set a date far enough in advance with enough buffer to have a confident release date. However, like a lot of things with this game, we have not chosen the typical route. Having millions of people play your game long before it’s ready is not normal. Not being afraid to show an unfinished game to millions of people with all its flaws is not normal. These were real tests and not just marketing events. So, when it comes to when we will release the real answer is “as soon as we can.” And we will continue to update you with more info when we have it.
To conclude, we set out since the concept of this game to be more transparent with our community and to listen to our players and act on their feedback. We’ve even shown that we will add features in the middle of development based on player requests. Map Voting which is in now and an S&D-like mode that is coming later are two examples of this. We want this to be your game!
I know that’s a lot of info so thank you for taking the time to read it all. I know it’s been quite a journey to get to this point and I want to thank every single person that has joined us along the way. We really can’t wait to go live and share our passion and love for XDefiant with everyone. Hope to see you all soon in game!
This is a bummer for those hoping the game gets launched in the next two weeks, but at the very least, we now know why there’s no real news on the game’s release window/date.
Source: Ubisoft
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