The launch of XDefiant saw an influx of shooter fans make their way over to Ubisoft’s latest title. Naturally, comparisons have been made with Call of Duty, who have historically dominated this genre. These comparisons have ranged from gameplay, all the way down to Twitch viewership.
Some healthy competition doesn’t hurt, but does observing Twitch viewership between XDefiant and Call of Duty hold much weight?
Straight out of the gate
A post on X pointed out XDefiant’s 42,500 live viewers on Twitch compared to Modern Warfare 3’s 8,400. Executive producer of XDefiant, Mark Rubin, has commented on what he calls “friendly competition.”
Rubin states, “to be fair and to put the friendly competition aside. We just came out while they’ve been out for months. So honestly I don’t think it’s fair but I do still love to see it because competing with one of the largest gaming franchises in history is no easy task.”
XDefiant has certainly left its mark on the first person shooter category. However, Twitch viewership isn’t always the most accurate way to measure a game’s success. As Rubin alludes to, Modern Warfare 3 released in November 2023, while XDefiant is still in its infancy. Also, many creators who would usually be streaming Call of Duty have been diving into XDefiant, bringing their fanbases along for the ride.
For the entire six weeks of the preseason, players can earn Twitch drops for watching XDefiant streams. The rewards are various weapon skins, as well as XP Boosters to give a helping hand in progressing through the various levels.
A dip in Call of Duty viewership is nothing to be concerned about. As the hype builds around the full reveal of Black Ops 6 on June 9, it won’t be long until all eyes are on Activision, once again.
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