Ubisoft Renames Controversial Shooter Following Fan Backlash

Ubisoft doesn't have a spotless record when it comes to listening to its customer base when they aren't happy. Just look at the whole NFTs in Ghost Recon Breakpoint debacle to see that the company often believes players will understand "in time".

However, in a strange twist of events they have finally been listening to the fans. Revealing a new free-to-play arena shooter last year, they received a lot of very negative feedback regarding the name. The latest from Ubisoft San Francisco was originally titled Tom Clancy's XDefiant, however as fans pointed out there is not much Tom Clancy-ish about it.

Want to see what the fuss is all about for yourself? You can take a look at the trailer below.



When you think of our good pal Mr. Clancy in the gaming industry, we think of the often times slow paced stealth mechanics, teaming up with a partner and discussing tactics to take down the enemy. We generally don't think of running around a closed-off arena blasting away with few long-term consequences.

It appears that Ubisoft took this feedback to heart. Announcing the latest closed playtest for the game that it's calling Insider Sessions, it also revealed the new name. It's not all that different, but dropping the 'Tom Clancy' from the title at least shows that Ubisoft has been listening to the feedback, at least in this instance.

The announcement reads:

"We learned a lot from our last Closed Test, thanks to your in-depth and genuine feedback. Which we're hoping for even more of."

Those already registered to try out XDefiant will be receiving emails shortly inviting them to take part in the test, and offer Ubisoft even more feedback on the project. There's no final release date yet given, so if you want to try it out for yourself the best bet is to register and see if you get invited in the next batch of testing.