Defiance will make its second attempt with the name addition 2050 on the current generation consoles as well as on PC. The online shooter came before Destiny and The Division but could never keep up with the huge competition. We wondered why that is.
What is Defiance?
What is the story of Defiance? The TV series Defiance takes place in a post-apocalyptic future on a radically transformed Earth. The alien collective of the Votans, consisting of several different races, arrived on Earth in 2013 after their star system was destroyed in a stellar collision. Humans met them with hostility and suspicion, leading years later to a catastrophic global conflict.
After years of war between humans and Votans, the Ark fleet of the aliens exploded mysteriously in orbit, triggering the “Arkfall” and thus the terraforming technology of the Votans. A large part of the planet became an uninhabitable wasteland.
While the Votans wanted to use their terraforming technology in a carefully planned manner, the Arkfall unleashed chaotic and radical changes in the biosphere and geology of Earth indiscriminately. Flora and fauna, and even some humans, were altered.
Years after the conflicts, humans and aliens strive to rebuild the world. The series is set in the independent city-state of Defiance, built over the ruins of St. Louis, Missouri. The coexistence of different alien races and humans is a major part of the plot.
TV series and video games should strengthen each other
What was supposed to make Defiance so special? Parallel to the TV series, the MMO shooter of the same name was released. The plotlines of the series and the game were supposed to complement and influence each other. For example, players encounter Nolan and Irisa, the protagonists from the TV series, from the very beginning.
In special missions and events, the storylines of the TV show and the game were woven together repeatedly. Players received quests whose outcomes were mentioned in subsequent episodes of the series.
Why was the TV series Defiance never a big hit? Defiance was produced for the Syfy channel, which is a pay-TV channel in the USA and Germany. While Syfy aired the series in Germany as early as April 2013, Defiance was not aired on free-to-air TV until October 2014 on Tele 5. After only four episodes, the series was canceled due to poor ratings, and the broadcast was only resumed in August 2015.
After 3 seasons, the TV series came to an end, and no further parts were produced.
The synergy didn’t work even before: The game based on the series was released worldwide in April 2013, but the tie-in feature with the series failed in many markets. The game was heavily advertised with a focus on its connection to the series.
Bad luck with the console release
Defiance was simply too late: The video game Defiance was first released in April 2013. It was released for PC and for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, even though the successor consoles were already on the horizon.
Forever waited for Free2Play: Additionally, the game was still a buy-to-play title upon its release. The switch to free-to-play for PC did not occur until June 2014, followed by Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the end of 2014.
Here we go again: Defiance 2050 is coming
Remake starts straight Free2Play: This payment hurdle is bypassed immediately with Defiance 2050. The remake of Defiance will be released on July 10, 2018 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 as a free-to-play title.
The background for the remake is certainly that Trion Worlds believes they were too early with Defiance. After all, they launched just a few months before Destiny brought the genre “online shooter with MMO elements” to the top.
However, it may be that Trion Worlds is again too late with Defiance 2050 in 2018. There is already speculation about the successors to Xbox One and PlayStation 4, although the producer of Defiance 2050, Matt Pettit, hopes for a longer console cycle.
Will Defiance succeed with 2050?
What do players think of Defiance? Over the years, Defiance has built a small but loyal community. The shooter is particularly popular among players who also followed the series.
Despite the fan love, the technical foundation of Defiance has been criticized repeatedly. While every game is plagued by bugs and glitches now and then, Defiance additionally faced criticism for its graphics and server stability.
No major graphical changes: The technical limitations are also the crux in the remake Defiance 2050. There is no fall damage, the AI is dumb and obediently lines up for the next headshot, while vehicles can be steered like a wet sponge.
Despite the promise to want to utilize the graphical capabilities of an Xbox One or PlayStation 4, players see no major changes.
Defiance 2050 is just too similar to Defiance – looks like it’s from 2007
The environment is jagged, the textures are sometimes muddy, and instead of a large draw distance, there’s a fog that obscures large parts of the landscape. In the Defiance subreddit, a fan states that Defiance 2050 is mostly the same game as the original that was released with the series. And although Defiance was released in 2013, it already looked like a game from 2007 back then.
However, the game has a solid foundation in the form of the interesting universe. Defiance 2050 also has its moments where the shooter can nearly convince.
The good sides of Defiance 2050
Fun as a needle in a haystack: While the quests are generally bland, the tasks taken on with random players are much more enjoyable. After completing a quest, a window pops up with a message showing which player was able to collect the most points. This way, a friendly competition arises for the next task they tackle together.
Additionally, there are in-game events that have their charm. In raids, players must defend themselves against sudden invasions, while sieges are a horde mode where objectives must be defended against increasingly stronger enemies.
Archenfalls take on a larger significance, which are marked with a red symbol in the game world. While small archenfalls are suitable for a smaller group of players, large archenfalls are designed for larger groups. There, an enormous boss awaits, which, however, is hardly more than a giant bullet sponge.
Exciting scenario – but a second spring seems unlikely
Micha says: Defiance has an interesting backstory where our own planet is an inhospitable world suddenly inhabited by visitors from another planet. How this theme will perform without the accompanying series is still uncertain.
Whether Defiance can achieve its second spring with 2050 largely depends on how many players the shooter can attract. With generic quests alone, players are unlikely to stay engaged, while at public events they are heavily reliant on more allies.
