Ubisoft has released its newest first-person shooter, XDefiant which is free to play across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. One of the first things that comes to mind when people see its gameplay is that they may consider it a Call of Duty competitor, given its inspiration from the iconic series, which is not surprising. Is XDefiant a ‘Call of Duty killer’?

First things first it’s always good to have competition in any business especially in the gaming industry because it only helps the players. There have been a lot of times we’ve seen a new first-person shooter release where we thought “Is Call of Duty in trouble?”, and usually the case is no. One of the reasons why XDefiant or any other IP will never take over Call of Duty is because the name has a huge history behind it and fans know, for the most part, what they are getting.

XDefiant has been released for a week since May 21, 2024, and no doubt has become a very popular game for the time being. It reached over 3 million players within its first few days and continues to have a solid player base. The game tries to be something different than Call of Duty with its Factions that come with different abilities. It’s almost like Apex Legends where you pick a legend with a certain ability like a healer, or someone who is defensive. That’s what XDefiant has with its Phantom, Cleaner, Libertad, and DeadSec Factions. What’s cool about them is they are all based on other Ubisoft games.

The map design differentiates so much and you can argue that XDefiant has the more colorful and creative map designs for its game modes. The one game mode that Call of Duty does not have is Escort where the objective is to escort a robot to a specific location. When it comes to FPS titles like these two it is very hard to be creative since all of them have a Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and Domination mode.

I would also say XDefiant’s gameplay style is a lot faster and more competitive than Call of Duty. There could be a lot of frustration playing Ubisoft’s shooter for those who play casually. What makes Call of Duty more appealing is its variety of gameplay options with Zombies, Warzone, and regular Multiplayer.

XDefiant is still in preseason at the time of this piece and has a long way to go for content as it only has five game modes, a handful of maps, and factions to offer. The game does not have a single-player mode or any other side mode. There is a Battle Pass to grind through to earn cosmetic rewards.

Another advantage of Call of Duty is that it doesn’t need to worry about its future because there will always be a new game from the franchise, even if it seems unnecessary.