Summary
Free-to-play MMO looter shooterDefianceis back from the dead. However, its return is so far limited toPC.
Developed by now-defunct American studio Trion Worlds,Defiancewas envisioned as a video game tie-in to the eponymous Syfy TV show that ran for three seasons, ending in 2015. It was originally released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in April 2013 as a premium game, but went free-to-play just 14 months later. A reimagined version of the looter shooter,Defiance 2050, debuted in July 2018. The relaunch didn’t go too well, withDefiance 2050becoming one of theworst-rated free-to-play gamesof its time. German company Gamigo eventually acquired Trion Worlds and shut down both versions ofDefiancein April 2021.
In March 2025, publisherFawkes Games announced that it had acquired rights toDefiance, with plans to relaunch it in the immediate future. This promise came to fruition on April 18, when the PC version of the game went back online.Defiancecan currently only bedownloaded directly from Fawkes. It’s unclear whether the publisher plans to bring the game to Steam or any other storefront.
Defiance 2050 Is Still Offline
The newly relaunched version of the game is the 2013 original, albeit with pretty much all the content updates that it has received over the years. Fawkes previously stated that the goal of the relaunch isn’t just to bring back the game, but to revive its entireonline community. To that end, the company will carefully monitor the response to the relaunch, and adjust its plans accordingly. If the PC version of the game generates enough momentum, Fawkes is willing to “explore the possibility” of bringing back the console versions ofDefiance, the publisher said in a prepared statement. The likelihood ofDefiance 2050returning will also presumably depend on community response to the original’s re-release.
The relaunched version ofDefianceis described as a work-in-progress, as Fawkes is still in the process of ironing out some technical issues. For example, jumping between instances—such as Expeditions, PvP, or the tutorial—can currently lead to disconnections, and logging in may require several attempts. Fawkes is still frequently restarting thelooter shooter’s servers to apply emergency fixes, so the overall experience may remain inconsistent while this process continues.
Do Old Defiance Accounts Still Work With the New Version of the Game?
OldDefianceaccounts won’t work with the relaunched version of the looter shooter. Anyone interested in playing this revival will hence need to create a new account and start from scratch. Fawkes said it’s committed to supportingDefiancelong-term, but currently only has a “skeleton crew” working on it until it can assess the overall level of interest in the game.
