AFTER NEARLY seven years in development, Project Xandata is finally releasing on March 22 on Steam. It's a squad and class competitive shooter developed by a team of veteran Filipino developers known as Secret 6.
Here’s the breakdown of what to expect when Project Xandata officially comes out of early access early next week.
How did Project Xandata come to be ?
Project Xandata started out as a personal project by Gene Gacho in 2015 while working as a freelance developer for Secret 6. Gacho eventually got the whole team interested, beginning Project Xandata’s long and arduous journey to release.
So who is Secret 6? They're a team of veteran Filipino developers based across three continents. With offices in Madrid, San Francisco, and Pasig, Secret 6 is a global brand, that's worked in a lot of triple-A games in the industry, including the Uncharted series, the Last Of Us series, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and even Yu-Gi Oh! Duel Generations. But with Project Xandata, Secret 6 is gearing up to make its own original IP.
So what kind of game is Project Xandata?
Project Xandata is all about good gunplay, timely skill usage, and team coordination.
The game focuses on a more intimate gaming experience with three man squads, and the divergence from the regular 5v5s of most squad-based shooters is a welcome change of pace.
You play as Xandats, soldiers trained to use combat suits from the various technology and magical augmentation of the various nations of the world. Xandats are beefy enough to take multiple headshots before dying, so you cannot be just one-tapped like in games like VALORANT and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Apart from the guns, a key pillar in Project Xandata’s gameplay is based on MagiTech — ancient technology that powers the elemental skills of the players. You can summon winds that knock back your opponents, or even a tornado that makes your opponents extra vulnerable to your pistols. There’s even an ability called Bathala Fire (I see what you did there, Secret 6) which allows you to dive bomb, all engulfed in flames, to incinerate your opponents.
There is a whole smorgasbord of abilities available to mix and match with your teammates to find the perfect synergy to make victory all the more easier.
Project Xandata's classes, guns, and game modes
There are currently three different classes available in Project Xandata: the agile Marksman, the sneaky Agent, and the tanky Juggernaut. You can adjust the loadouts of abilities and weaponry of all the classes as you see fit to find your niche in this action-packed world.
Of course, it can’t be a shooter without a deadly arsenal of guns at your disposal. In Project Xandata, you can choose from an array of pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, assault and sniper rifles, as well as rocket launchers. With primary and secondary weapon slots available, you'll need to swap in the right weapon for the right job, depending on your current goals in the game.
Project Xandata features five different modes to test your skills in: Annihilation, Corruption, Skirmish, Overcharge, and the classic Free-for-All.
Annihilation is the competitive standard mode of the game, while Free-for-all will make you remember '90s Quake actions with (hopefully) rockets and explosives flying everywhere in chaotic good fun. The other three are more niche modes to play to spice up your Project Xandata gaming experience.
It is free-to-play, so check it out on Steam when it drops on March 22.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph