The free-to-play team shooter XDefiant was supposed to be released before the end of the summer, but has now been delayed until the fall. Explain how it happened assumed Executive producer Mark Rubin.
Image source: Ubisoft
According to Rubin, Ubisoft began preparing for the mandatory certification process for the game on PlayStation and Xbox consoles in late July, but in mid-August both platform holders rejected the project.
Certification failure is not an exceptional event and is often not related to the quality of the product (they can also be rejected because of a “foreign” symbol in the layout), but developers usually do not talk about this.
The exact reason why XDefiant failed console certification is not specified
If XDefiant had received the green light from platform holders in mid-August, it would have been released at the end of the month. Instead, the team has spent the last few weeks fixing bugs and preparing for a new application.
Ubisoft plans to begin the certification process within two weeks. Rubin outlines two possible scenarios for the development of events:
- If XDefiant is approved without comments, it will be released in the second half of September.
- If XDefiant receives “conditional” approval, the team will be forced to release a day-one patch – in which case the release will be delayed until the first half of October.
Finally, Rubin emphasized that highlighting the certification process is part of the XDefiant team’s strategy to be more open with its community, listen to it and respond to player feedback.
XDefiant is being created for PC (Ubisoft Connect), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Amazon Luna. The game features fighters from five factions based on Ubisoft games – Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division, Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs.
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