XDefiantstands as an ambitious yet short-lived attempt by Ubisoft to firmly break into the world of fast-paced first-person shooters, with the game’s premise seeing an interesting blend of arena shooter and hero shooter mechanics. The early hype around the title was greatly boosted by its free-to-play nature and the way it pulled from a wide range of other Ubisoft franchises in the creation of its varied in-game factions.
The factions forXDefiantare directly taken from other IPs such asWatch Dogs,Far Cry, andSplinter Cell, with these factions influencing a range of special abilities that the player can choose to weld in-game. Sadly, withXDefiantbeing set to completely shut down in a few months' time, Ubisoft has had to play its hand early with a lot of post-launch content, with anAssassin’s Creedfaction being added to the game in December 2024. TheACfranchise’s iconic and powerful Apple of Eden appears as an ability for this faction, which could be an indication as to how the ancient artifact will be implemented into the upcoming multiplayerACgame, currently code-namedAssassin’s Creed Invictus.
XDefiant’s Multiplayer Approach To Assassin’s Creed Could Hint Towards Invictus
While theAssassin’s Creedfranchise is primarily known for its immersive single-player experiences, the franchise has had a lot of success with multiplayer modes in the past, withthe tense PvP of games likeAssassin’s Creed: Brotherhoodbeing very well-received by the IP’s community. AsAssassin’s Creedhas moved firmly into the realm of more open-world RPG-like experiences, this kind of supplementary multiplayer content has essentially disappeared, although the upcomingInvictusis boldly aiming to change this.
Invictuswas announced alongside a widerange of upcomingACprojects such asAssassin’s Creed Hexe, withInvictusseemingly being a big part of Ubisoft’s plans to supplement the upcomingAssassin’s Creed Infinityhub, which will be the go-to place to access allACcontent in the near future. The only real information currently known aboutInvictusis that it will be an entirely multiplayer project, with many fans logically assuming this will provide the same kind of PvP and deception-oriented gameplay as past online experiences for the series.
The fairly recent introduction of theAssassin’s Creedfaction toXDefiantcould be an excellent way to gain a better idea of how Ubisoft is planning to translate the core themes and mechanics ofACto a multiplayer setting inInvictus, withXDefiant’s use of the Apple of Eden being one particular area of interest. The Apple of Eden is central to theACfaction’s Ultimate Ability inXDefiant;players can use this powerful move to instantly teleport to an enemy player and wipe them out with the faction’s Hidden Blade ability.
XDefiantwill be officially shutting down on June 24, 2025, just over a year after its release in May 2024.
XDefiant Proves the Multiplayer Potential of the Apple of Eden Going Forward
While it makes sense to usesuch an iconic part ofAssassin’s Creedas a powerful faction ability inXDefiant, it would make less sense in an officialACtitle such asInvictusto give each player access to such a coveted and destructive artifact. It seems likely thatInvictuswill not use the Apple of Eden as freely asXDefiant, yet there is still clear room for the artifact to be used in a more nuanced way.
For example, the Apple of Eden could appear inInvictusas anobjective mode likeHalo’s Oddball gamemode, with players having to briefly work together to take down whoever is holding the Apple and welding its immense power. There could be great utility in allowing a singular person to find and use the Apple of Eden in certainInvictusmodes, with the target this puts on a player’s back being worth the enhanced abilities, andXDefiant’sACfaction may be an excellent indicator as to how Ubisoft is laying the groundwork for this kind of inclusion inInvictuswhen the game eventually launches.
