It’s not uncommon for free-to-play games these days to have pay-to-win methods through microtransactions, but Ubisoft’s shooter XDefiant is taking a different route.
XDefiant is a multiplayer shooter featuring factions from various Ubisoft games such as Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell, The Division, and more where players fight against each other. While the developers are taking a different route to microtransactions, will the game be pay-to-win on its release day?
Is XDefiant be pay-to-win? Microtransactions explained
No, XDefiant is not pay-to-win. According to the developers, “there are no pay-to-win mechanics,” and any content that impacts gameplay is unlockable through challenges and also available for purchase. Ubisoft claims it’s to “ensure fair play” among the players.
The developers also gave the example of the DedSec faction, which is available in the Preseason and will be purchasable or unlockable through in-game challenges by earning 700K XP—providing free-to-play players an option to unlock it for free. The DecSec faction comes from the hacking group in Watch Dogs. They’re cyber attackers and will have similar abilities in the game as well, with tools like Spiderbot and Hijack.
The developers claim they’ve focused on “rewarding” players’ commitment to the game by helping them unlock content either by progressing the Battle Pass or challenges. Moreover, XDefiant is slated to reward players’ time with free battle Pass rewards, daily and weekly challenges, Ubisoft Connect Challenges, Weapon Mastery (with regular updates), and community participation rewards like Twitch Drops, giveaways, and events.
The developers said they will provide various customization options for players while listening to community feedback, using player surveys and collecting game data.
Now that you know about the developers’ stance to pay-to-win mechanics, it’s time to preload the game and start playing on its launch.
