Defiant netcode and hit-reg issues now Ubisoft’s ‘top priority’ after launch

At least they're working on it.

A player character aiming in XDefiant.
Image via Ubisoft

XDefiant’s annoying hit-reg and netcode issues have been getting on players’ nerves since launch. Thankfully, Ubisoft has acknowledged the situation and is currently working on fixing things up. 

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In a tweet on May 25, Mark Rubin, Executive Producer for XDefiant at Ubisoft San Francisco, said the dev team is aware of the reports about bullets not registering on enemies, and is focused on improving the situation—but “it will take time.”

XDefiant player shoots their weapon.
Ubisoft has heard you. Image via Ubisoft

Rubin says there are numerous things that influence netcode, so the developer has to work on fixing “each and every one of them.” As promised, players should see improvements with time. 

In case you aren’t aware, the discussion began when a clip showcasing a player frantically trying to get their bullets to register on an enemy went viral on X (formerly Twitter). While Rubin (and a few community members) tried blaming the affected player’s fluctuating internet connection, several fans voiced concerns about the game’s undeniably broken netcode. 

“No. I disagree,” a player replied to commenters saying it’s just bad network. “This same shit happened to me every other match. My ping is 35. Xbox series with 1000 megs upload and download.”

Later, replying to a player report, Rubin confirmed mitigating XDefiant’s netcode hiccups is Ubisoft’s “top priority” right now. “There are two major areas where we can try and improve,” he explained. 

“As I said, we are not dismissing the issues and this is our top priority. Once we can find ways to decrease the effect of lost packets on players through optimization and efficiency and we can add more server locations to try and reduce the internet distance from players to servers which can help reduce issues in internet quality.”

Well, as long as Ubisoft working on it, all we can do is wait.

Author
Image of Sharmila Ganguly
Sharmila Ganguly
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. An enthusiastic gamer who bumped into the intricacies of video game journalism in 2021 and has been hustling ever since. Obsessed with first-person shooter titles, especially VALORANT. Contact: sharmila@dotesports.com