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The first-person shooter space has heated up a lot today, with Ubisoft’s much-awaited free-to-playXDefiantfinally launching after numerous delays, albeit in a pre-season phase. Offering fast-paced gameplay, the shooter features a unique blend of factions inspired by Ubisoft’s iconic franchises.
However,XDefiant‘s time in the spotlight may just have been cut down, as many fans believe its launch was somewhat overshadowed by another major announcement from the biggest name in the shooter genre.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6Is Finally Real, But With Odd Timing
Call of DutymakerActivision has officially unveiledthe next entry in the blockbuster first-person shooter series:Black Ops 6. The reveal culminated a week of cryptic teasers, including a website dubbed thetruthlies.com and a shadowy trailer hinting at aBlack Opsconnection.
“Okay the standard”: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Third Leak of the Day is Disappointing but Expected
Further details remain sparse, with no gameplay or story specifics revealed yet, but fans won’t have to wait long for more details. Activision has confirmed that the previously (and poorly) obfuscatedDirect presentation following the Xbox Games Showcaseon June 9 will indeed be centered aroundBlack Ops 6.
The confluence betweenXDefiant‘s launch and theCall of Dutyannouncement has incited an interesting online debate, with some Ubisoft fans taking to social media to express suspicion about the timing of theBlack Ops 6reveal.
XDefiantFans Think Activision May Have Felt Threatened
They suggest that Activision was strategically releasing information aboutBlack Ops 6to deliberately divert attention away fromXDefiant‘s launch, because the Ubisoft shooter was “taking all theCoDplayers.” These claims were met with significant pushback from the wider gaming community.
XDefiant is what AEW is to WWE
— Arthur “Fiend2Society” (@Fiend2Society)August 19, 2025
Or, hear me out, it’s actually just because this is usually the time teasers for the next COD come out.
— My Namma CHEF 💚🤍🩶🖤 (@RileyTheWolfYt)June 09, 2025
XDefiant is COD from Temu lol
— Right (@UnknownLogic4)June 15, 2025
Lmao it will never take all the cod players💀 cod will always have a die hard fan base that will always buy their games
— Bobby (@bobby_n_b4)June 16, 2025
this is the usual time for cod teasers because cod comes out in like 3-4 months. and as much as i enjoyed xdefiant, it’s not good enough to take any games players 😭
— Dylan (@Wopa21)July 18, 2025
While the notion of Activision feeling mildly threatened byXDefiantand revealingBlack Ops 6to eclipse its hype is funny, it’s ultimately just a coincidence.XDefianthas been in the public eye for a while,undergoing closed beta testingand slowly accruing a dedicated fanbase. The Ubisoft shooter’s release date was also announced at the beginning of May.
Meanwhile, Activision’s teasers forBlack Ops 6have likely been following a predetermined schedule, as is the case with marketing campaigns, culminating in today’s reveal. It’s improbable that this schedule was drastically altered to specifically clash withXDefiant‘s launch, that too in such a short timeframe.
It’s also important to note that the two games occupy distinct niches within the shooter genre.XDefiant‘s free-to-play model and focus on class-based combat differentiate it from the traditionalpremium experience offered byCall of Duty, so they’re unlikely to cannibalize each other’s audience.
XDefiant Confirmed to Eventually Include 1 of Call of Duty’s Best Modes
Nevertheless, the timing of these announcements seems to be a simple case of parallel development cycles converging. BothXDefiantandBlack Ops 6have the potential to be major players in the first-person shooter scene this year, and fans should be happy to have them, rather than devolve into petty arguments.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Content Writer
Articles Published :247
A lifelong gamer, lover of cars, and Master’s student of Automotive Journalism, Viraaj Bhatnagar is a gaming writer at FandomWire who aims to be one of the greats. When he’s not hunched over on his laptop typing out copy, he can be found lapping circuits in Gran Turismo or slaying draugr in God of War.
