Ubisoft is making some big moves to corner the free-to-play PvP shooter market, with three upcoming Tom Clancy branded games announced. A free-to-play battle royale game from Ubisoft, Hyper Scape, was also released to little fanfare. Howeverm, the upcoming Tom Clancy games have already attracted a lot of derision. In fact, the one that will be released the soonest and has just finished beta testing, Tom Clancy's xDefiant, seems to have been largely forgotten about.
Even diehard Tom Clancy fans don't seem all that excited about xDefiant. The two other upcoming free-to-play Tom Clancy games, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Frontline and mobile game Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland, haven't generated all that much buzz. Still, xDefiant in particular seems to have been overshadowed by other video announcements. The initial reaction to xDefiant reveals the disconnect between Ubisoft and its audience, which has become even more pronounced in the months since.
xDefiant and Being Out of Touch
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The most prominent question that emerged following the announcement of xDefiant concerned the target audience, with Ubisoft seemingly trying to attract Tom Clancy, Call of Duty, and Overwatch fans all at once. This mix-match doesn't work for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that Tom Clancy's entire brand is a purported sense of realism in his gritty military properties. Some of the best-selling Clancy games are tactical third-person shooters, so a free-to-play arena shooter won't necessarily attract the same audience.
The name, of course, cannot be ignored. xDefiant was immediately mocked across the internet for its name. Reactions to the announcement of the game ridiculed the inclusion of an x in the title to create an 'xD' smiley, one which has fallen out of mass use. The reaction to gameplay trailers for xDefiant was no better, with the colorful, cartoonish aesthetic of the game feeling jarring to long-time Clancy fans. Outside of the Tom Clancy fandom, other shooter fans seemed largely uninterested in xDefiant. In trying to corner so many different markets at once, Ubisoft has forgotten to give xDefiant something unique to stand out in a huge market of similar games, with the Tom Clancy branding only confusing people more than anything else.
Tom Clancy's Legacy
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With at least one movie in the works based on Tom Clancy's books, his IPs continue to live on for now. In general, Clancy was never that hands-on with the video games associated with his brand, but the reaction to xDefiant is telling. Following the author's death in 2013, the separation between Clancy himself and the Tom Clancy games is even more pronounced. As such, the games' popularity is independent of Clancy's, but if Ubisoft fails to keep fans engaged, then the game branch of Clancy's brand could crumble. Paired with Clancy's controversial views, which won't necessarily attract the biggest audience these days, it's possible the Clancy brand may soon disappear, too.
While games like Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six Siege have been lauded for their innovate gameplay, xDefiant seems like a move in the completely wrong direction for Clancy gaming media. Ultimately, xDefiant has failed to impress for all the reasons listed above - but mostly because it is uninspired. If Ubisoft hopes to salvage the Tom Clancy brand, it will need to return to its roots somewhat. If it does not, it may be time to let the brand go, as although early games garnered loyal fans, the newer titles seem to be what absolutely no one was waiting for.
xDefiant is expected to release fully in late 2021/early 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
