People love WWII stories. That said, the stories told are often from European or American perspectives. While recent films like Hidden Blade, SISU, and series like Pachinko or Gyeongseong Creature all add other perspectives to cinematic and silver-screen stories, there has been far less diversity in video games. The Defiant, from developer Hoothanes and publisher 4Divinity, is changing that.
The Defiant is a first-person shooter set during World War II and from the Chinese perspective. During ChinaJoy 2026 in Shanghai, The Defiant’s newest gameplay trailer was released, along with its first public demo. Attendees can play the story-driven first-person shooter at booth N1-G201 from now until July 31, 2026, until August 3, 2026.
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The Defiant is made in Unreal Engine 5, with the hopes of recreating the era. This also includes the period-specific arsenal Chinese fighters carried: the Hanyang Type 88, the Mauser C96, Bergmann MP18 submachine gun, and more, all of which tick the boxes many WWII buffs look for.
From what we see in the marketing, the studio is aiming to bring that same authenticity to the story, with a story less focused on action alone and more on the harshness of the War of Resistance and what it cost the people fighting for survival and their homeland.
What is The Defiant About?
The funny thing about getting older is that at some point, you will find a WWII rabbit hole to wander down into, only to emerge a few months later having watched countless documentaries, biopics, or even fiction set during the time period. But while we have endless recountings of American and European perspectives, its much harder to find stories from other perspectives.
It’s what keeps the general public mostly unaware of the wars being fought in Asia, and the people trying to survive and beat back imperialism. The Defiant offers players a way to see WWII from a Chinese perspective and, in doing so, expands our understanding of history.
Official Synopsis:
The game puts players in the principal battlefield of WWII in the East, which China fought in the mid-20th century and remembers as the War of Resistance. The brutal conflict cost the lives of countless Chinese soldiers and civilians.
The Defiant unfolds across occupied villages, frozen forests, fortified supply routes, and enemy-controlled urban zones. Every environment is shaped by guerrilla warfare and survival behind enemy lines. Missions shift between stealth infiltration, close-quarters firefights, sniping, urban espionage, and sudden large-scale assaults.
From watching the gameplay trailer, it’s clear that much of The Defiant isn’t set to glamorize the Second World War, so much as it is trying to immerse you in it. During combat, the trench walls make the situation claustrophobic, while the constant flashes, ringing, and visual distortion from enemies hurling projectiles create chaos for the player.
There is an element of desperation on display in this gameplay trailer that I think captures what divides run-n-gun WWII stories from simply being about achievement hunting and killing opponents, stripping them of emotion and historical weight. I don’t say that to mean that the devs are desperate; I mean that they have created an atmosphere that makes the player desperate and, in that way, doesn’t allow its audience to look away from the weight of battle.
Watch the Trailer
