Ubisoft announced Ghost Recon Frontline and its Closed Test for PC just last week; now the testing session in question has received an indefinite delay. Ghost Recon's first battle royale, Frontline entered the spotlight at the tail end of a 20th anniversary celebration for the Tom Clancy-branded tactical series. The publisher held the brief digital event on October 5, where it also shared cursory details about Ghost Recon Breakpoint's next big update - Operation Motherland.
Frontline will mark quite the departure for the long-running franchise. In addition to a free-to-play battle royale structure, players can expect first-person, classed-based gameplay. For Frontline, at least, gone are the days of Ghost Recon's tactical third-person core. But developer Ubisoft Bucharest still aims to place familiar Ghost Recon mechanics front and center, something PC players were supposed to experience for themselves in a Closed Test scheduled to run from October 14 through October 21. Fans will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the shooter, though.
In a post on the official Ghost Recon Frontline Twitter account, Ubisoft postponed the game's Closed Test for reasons unknown. "The development team is dedicated to creating the best experience possible," reads the tweet's text-laden image in part. What the message doesn't include, however, is a new set of dates for the Closed Test. Instead, Ubisoft promises a revised schedule will go live as soon as possible.
This news comes about a week after Frontline's announcement, begging the question of why Ubisoft and Co. even bothered to share Closed Test plans. But perhaps the publisher and its development teams didn't expect fans to react negatively towards the new Ghost Recon reveal. If so, a reexamination of the proposed content could inspire a last-minute delay.
Ghost Recon Frontline and several other decisions in recent memory have critics and fans alike questioning Ubisoft's continued use of the Tom Clancy license. Tom Clancy's XDefiant is an arena shooter, for instance, completely void of the espionage and military thriller qualities that once graced every game bearing the famous author's name. Rainbow Six: Extraction features aliens. Now Ghost Recon, which played a pivotal role in defining tactical third-person shooters, will eventually reemerge as a battle royale. As many have already noted, perhaps Splinter Cell's dormancy is a kindness in disguise.
Ghost Recon Frontline is in development for Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: GRFrontline/Twitter