XDefiant’s record-breaking launch surpasses Apex Legends’ debut

XDefiant’s player count at launch makes it a record-breaking debut for Ubisoft, one that even topped Apex Legends’ day one numbers.

Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter XDefiant got off to a rough start because of server issues at launch. The publisher addressed these problems throughout the first day, and it’s a good thing, too.

According to sources who’ve spoken with Insider Gaming, XDefiant managed to amass one million unique players within the first 2.5 hours of its release on Tuesday, May 21. The first 24 hours even saw the shooter top 500,000 concurrent users across all platforms.

This is a record-breaking start for the French publisher, as XDefiant now counts as its “fastest-ever game to reach 1 million unique players.”

Ubisoft

By comparison, the wildly successful Apex Legends hit a milestone of one million unique players eight hours after its 2019 debut on PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. It later amassed 2.5 million unique users in 24 hours, then struck gold again when bringing in 10 million players after 72 hours.

Whether or not XDefiant’s overall player count is on a similar trajectory remains to be seen. However, Insider Gaming further noted that the Ubisoft shooter hit three million unique users and approximately 300,000 concurrents within 48 hours.

XDefiant’s many Call of Duty-inspired qualities have helped it grab lots of attention, so far. Time will tell if it can keep up this kind of momentum, but players can at least rest assured that Ubisoft has long-term plans in place.

The game’s pre-season kicked off at launch on May 21, with Season 1 expected to arrive in about six weeks. XDefiant Season 1 will offer access to three new maps, an additional Faction, three extra weapons, and a Battle Pass comprising 90 tiers. The previously confirmed Seasons 2 through 4 will feature similar content additions.