The Defiant is an upcoming cinematic, story-driven first-person shooter (FPS) set during World War II, specifically focusing on China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (Second Sino-Japanese War).
Developed by Chinese studio Hoothane Games (浩汤科技 / Haotang Technology) and published by 4Divinity, it's powered by Unreal Engine 5 and emphasizes historical reverence through guerrilla warfare, survival behind enemy lines, and immersive combat.
Story and Setting You play as a member of "The Defiant"
– resistance fighters standing against Japanese invaders.
The narrative unfolds across brutal, historically inspired environments like vast snowy forests, occupied villages, heavily guarded supply roads, and enemy-controlled urban areas.
It highlights themes of sacrifice, unyielding spirit, and real historical events, such as operations by the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. Every location – from blood-soaked lands to searchlight-lit nights – serves as a "proof of history," blending cinematic storytelling with interactive moments where you become "the dagger driven into enemies' hearts" or "the Great Wall built with flesh and blood.
The Defiant — Latest News Update (as of January 28, 2026)
Developer Hoothanes (浩汤科技) and publisher 4Divinity have officially announced The Defiant, a cinematic, story-driven single-player first-person shooter (FPS) set during China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in World War II.
The game launched its reveal today with fresh details and promises a fresh perspective on WWII FPS titles, rarely explored from the Chinese resistance viewpoint.
Key Announcement Highlights
- Announcement Date: January 28, 2026 (today).
- Core Focus: Players join "The Defiant" resistance fighters, engaging in guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines across occupied villages, frozen forests, fortified supply routes, and urban zones.
It blends stealth infiltration, intense firefights, sniping, urban espionage, code-breaking, vehicular combat, and large-scale assaults — shifting fluidly between playstyles.
- Historical Reverence: Weapons are recreated as "historical artefacts" from real museum pieces and archives (e.g., Hanyang Rifle, Mauser Military Pistol, MP18 Submachine Gun, plus dozens more rifles, pistols, assault rifles, and machine guns from China's modern military history).
Environments and narrative draw from actual events, like operations by the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, emphasizing sacrifice, unyielding spirit, and "proof of history."
- Gameplay Style: High-intensity action with realistic elements (e.g., enemy bleed-out from sniping), mature content including frequent violence and gore for a serious wartime atmosphere.
- Modes: Primarily single-player campaign, with online co-op and LAN co-op support. Full controller compatibility and accessibility options (captions, audio/gameplay tweaks, stats tracking).
- Engine & Team: Built on Unreal Engine 5 by a veteran team of filmmakers and developers.
- Platforms: PC (Steam) confirmed; consoles TBA.
- Release Window: "Coming soon" on Steam — no exact date yet, but positioned for a potential 2027 launch based on earlier coverage. Wishlist available now for updates.
This announcement builds on prior reveals, including a 6-minute gameplay trailer from late 2025 showcasing methodical stealth-to-chaos transitions, precise shooting, and epic setpieces.
It's being hailed as a potential "Call of Duty killer" from China, mixing Medal of Honor-style realism with larger-scale battles, especially after successes like Black Myth: Wukong.
Sources & Links (at foot as requested):
- Official Steam Page:
