The video game XDefiant, developed by Ubisoft San Francisco in collaboration with Ubisoft Saguenay, was officially released on Tuesday. It was also in the Chicoutimi offices that the preseason launch of this first-person shooter took place. A major project which is coming to fruition for the Saguenay franchise, five years after its establishment in the region.
“This game represents a team of artists who are ready to make a difference. It is also a game that allows players to access universes that were created here, in the region. We found it important to emphasize that some of the interactive maps in the game were made 100% from Saguenay,” immediately states the general director of Ubisoft Saguenay, Jimmy Boulianne, adding that more than forty employees, i.e. all employees have worked hard on the project for three years.
XDefiant presents, among other things, five factions inspired by popular Ubisoft franchises, namely Cleaners (The Division), Libertad (Far Cry 6), Echelon (Splinter Cell), DecSec (Watch Dogs 2) and Phantoms (Ghost Recon Phantoms). The game’s preseason content includes 14 cards related to other titles from the company, 24 weapons, 44 accessories and five devices. Mr. Boulianne also elaborated on the container of XDefiant.
“It also contains several game modes, through an experience that is competitive and fast in multiplayer,” mentions the main interested party.
The game modes in question: arena and linear. Arena mode offers three types of matches. First in Domination, where teams compete to control three fixed zones. Then in Occupation, in which teams must control an area that moves on the map and finally in HotShot, where players fight to make the most KOs. Two types of matches are available with the linear mode: Control area and Escort.
Effective collaboration
The CEO of Ubisoft Saguenay also tells how the conceptualization of XDefiant went with Ubisoft San Francisco.
“What was interesting with them was to specifically define at the beginning what kinds of content we could contribute. We are very happy to have managed to convince them. Obviously, we’re only talking about what’s available in the preseason, but we’ve created several maps, including others that will be available in each season throughout the XDefiant universe, for a little bit of Ubisoft Saguenay everywhere.” , specifies Jimmy Boulianne.
Players can download XDefiant now and play it for free on their computer using Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S. Note that after the preseason, the video game will be updated with new content, including a new faction as well as three additional maps and weapons. Mr. Boulianne specifies that XDefiant is aimed at young people aged 16 and over, all levels combined.
Other projects on the way
Still in collaboration with Ubisoft San Francisco, projects continue to flow into Ubisoft Saguenay. The franchise is working in particular on the next “Rainbow Six Siege”, the first part of which was released on 1er December 2015.
“We are working hard on this other very competitive game that is very popular with players. We are also working on several other projects, the details of which I cannot reveal today. Lots of great things to come! », he concludes.
