Trion Worlds’ Defiance was an odd duck. It launched in 2013 alongside a TV show tie-in with the same name, set on a future Earth following an alien invasion—during which the planet was aggressively terraformed. Both the game and the show were a mix of grungy post-apocalyptic western and futuristic sci-fi.
A neat hook in the form of the interplay between the show and the game piqued my attention back in the day. I’d keep tuning into the show, trying to figure out what events would impact the game. Unfortunately, there was a surprising lack of meaningful crossover, beyond some familiar characters popping up. I vaguely recall a plague appearing in both, but mostly Defiance seemed to function like any other MMO.
