XDefiant developer denies delay due to "chasing Call of Duty"

A senior staff member behind the continually-delayed Ubisoft shooter XDefiant has denied a report which claimed the game's late launch was due to developers "chasing Call of Duty".

Writing on social media platform X, XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin - who previously held the same position at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward - addressed a new Insider Gaming report that claims the game's developers are becoming creatively frustrated by demands they must "copy" features found in Call of Duty.

"Just FYI, nothing about our delay is due to any new features," Rubin wrote. "In fact not much has changed from a gameplay standpoint. The delay has been due to the tech issues we've talked about."

XDefiant had been set to arrive before the end of this financial quarter - on 31st March - but now seems likely to miss it. Both the report and Rubin's response were vague on when the game would finally see release.

"The whole point of the delay was to lock the game and just put in bug fixes and the new updated netcode and social systems," Rubin continued.

"We have an update coming soon (probably this coming week). I know we've been silent because to be honest there isn't much to talk about. I know people just want to see the game ship and so do we."

On the claim that XDefiant was adding features akin to those found in Call of Duty, Rubin accepted that the game's staff were working on killcams, a COD mainstay, but suggested that the fact these were not being implemented immediately was a decision made to avoid any further delay.

The idea of XDefiant "chasing COD," Rubin concluded, "was [a] major eyeroll".

"Despite some differences, when it comes to gameplay feel and speed, XDefiant really does nail that COD-like vibe down to a tee," Eurogamer's Ian Higton wrote after playing a beta build of XDefiant last year. "If you're a fan of Call of Duty multiplayer, you should feel pretty much right at home here in terms of movement and shooting."