XDefiant fans divided as leaked release date clashes with major CoD event

A leaker has revealed that the alleged release date of XDefiant isn’t too far away, but fans are split as the reported launch day clashes with a major update in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2.

XDefiant has generated plenty of hype over its multiple betas and Test Sessions, with many FPS fans hoping it could emerge as a genuine rival to Call of Duty. Combining Factions and abilities from Ubisoft’s biggest franchises with a classic arena shooter, the game is said to bring plenty of features that CoD players have been calling for on day one.

But despite regular updates from the devs, the official XDefiant release date is yet to be revealed and many feel that launching the title too close to Modern Warfare 3 could harm it in the long run.

Now, a leaker claims to have revealed the launch date that Ubisoft are hoping to hit, and fans are skeptical as it would clash with a big day on the CoD calendar.

On October 1, leaker ‘el_bobberto’ posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “XDefiant is supposedly set to release on October 17th.” This is based on there being “no new problems found in the September 28th playtest.”

If this release date turns out to be true, it would fall on the same day as The Haunting Halloween event in Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2, coming as part of Season 6 Reloaded. The patch is set to be the last major update for both games before Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10.

Plenty of fans responded to the leak, with popular streamer ModernWarzone claiming it would be a “bold decision” to launch XDefiant on that day, before adding: “If this turns out to be true it could mean that the XDefiant team is incredibly confident in their game and believe the players will come regardless of what other games are doing at the time.”

Meanwhile, others argued that dropping XDefiant after the Modern Warfare 3 beta and on the same as the last update for Warzone 2 and MW2 makes them less likely to play it.

“Ngl I’m on the haunting event and counter strike 2 instead lol, I was interested then they missed their window for me. Now that cs2 is out and mw3 is around the corner it’s too late,” said one player, before another added: “They are releasing too close to cod man, people are gonna play it for two weeks then drop it when cod comes out.”

“Idc what anyone thinks you won’t have the success you could have if you release within weeks of cod as a shooter, they got to release during cod burnout periods.”

It’s worth keeping in mind that the October 17 release date for XDefiant hasn’t been confirmed and is only based on a leak for now. With Modern Warfare 3, which is doubling down on classic CoD maps, due on November 10, only time will tell if Ubisoft decides to launch the game this year.