XDefiant’s Finally Getting a Much-Needed Change, but It May Not Be Enough to Solve Its Biggest Issue
Mark Rubin and his team may be focusing on the wrong problem.
It was an exciting prospect for a former Call of Duty developer to bring his expertise to a new IP, but since players checked XDefiant and everything that it has to offer out, it has not exactly been smooth sailing for the game or its player base.
For starters, Ubisoft’s first-person shooter video game has been finding it difficult to secure its footing in an extremely saturated free-to-play live-service genre, and community feedback has been pointing to various aspects that need to be improved to make the title a force to be reckoned with in the rapidly evolving modern gaming landscape. An online multiplayer game is only as good as its Ranked Play mode, and fortunately, Mark Rubin has assured his fanbase that things will change for the better very soon.
Mark Rubin Addresses the Frustrated XDefiant Ranked Play Community
One of the major complaints that the XDefiant community has had about the game’s Ranked Play mode is the frustration that comes with players quitting the match in the middle of an intense battle, leaving their remaining teammates vulnerable to all sorts of counterattacks from the enemy factions.
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This has been resulting in honest players being forced to continue unbalanced matches and naturally losing since the other team proves overpowered when it has even one additional member, which is something that producer Mark Rubin just could not ignore any longer. Although it may not seem like a permanent solution to XDefiant’s Ranked Play problems, Rubin addressed the player feedback on his official X account, stating that “starting next week matches won’t start unless full.”
Of course, the producer’s response was met with even more skepticism, as players tried explaining what the actual problem is and how Ubisoft’s upcoming move will likely not do much to fix it.
While it is clear that Mark Rubin and his team are trying their best to ensure that XDefiant gets past its turbulent beginnings, especially since future seasons are not that far off, the issue will probably still persist because it does not seem to directly affect players who leave matches midway and will continue to do so.
The Ubisoft First-Person Shooter May Be Too Late With the Change
As Mark Rubin’s announcement started making the rounds on social media, players are surprised that XDefiant did not follow this approach right from the very beginning, stating that Ranked Play matches starting only when the matchmaking lobby is full should have always been a feature.
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Members of the community believe that this aspect is not something that a live-service shooter video game adds later down the line, and it not being a launch day addition does not sit right with players.
Players leaving Ranked Play matches midway seems to only be the tip of the iceberg, as there are a plethora of other problems that have had a persistent presence in the game mode.
XDefiant struggling to cement its place in the live-service shooter genre is not entirely unexpected, since massive franchises like Call of Duty still face issues with major releases.
Being a game that had been in development hell for years after its initial announcement, XDefiant has a long journey ahead if it wants to retain its player base, but the producer regularly addressing community issues seems like a much-needed step in the right direction.
