Fans of a sweatier Call of Duty are championing Ubisoft's free-to-play XDefiant

pcgamer.com:

The closed beta for upcoming Ubisoft FPS XDefiant managed to attract more eyeballs on Twitch last week than Warzone 2—not bad for a game that was heckled into a hole a couple years ago when it was first announced as a Tom Clancy game.

XDefiant reemerged this year with less Clancy branding, and at just the right time. The 6v6 shooter's totally radical Ubi-tude hasn't gotten more appealing, but the loudest discourse around Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 right now says that Call of Duty has lost its way—that it's too casual—and XDefiant is seizing the moment. Part way through this beta, it's being championed (opens in new tab)by streamers and esports-types as the return of early 2010s-style Call of Duty they've been waiting for.

i missed playing a game with a skillgap #XDefiant pic.twitter.com/193w8RwW5DApril 16, 2023

XDefiant is fast, and players have readily taken to the erratic movement techniques that Call of Duty has somewhat downplayed. Red dots appear on the minimap to mark the location of gunfire, a controversial omission in Modern Warfare 2. And although teams are balanced according to hidden MMR, there's no skill-based matchmaking in casual matches. If there's one thing FPS players like to gripe about on Reddit, it's SBMM.

Ubisoft is playing to the crowd here: «No #SBMM in casual? We know a game,» it tweeted (opens in new tab)last October. XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin, who produced the original Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, has also been earning points on social media(opens in new tab) for his communicativeness.

It's not all back-to-the-2010s for XDefiant, which includes special abilities (though many are similar to things you'll find in CoDs) and comprehensive gun customization with 15 data