Ubisoft officially discontinues XDefiant in 2025, – the publisher announced on Tuesdayand all fresh purchases and registrations will be withdrawn immediately. As part of the downtime, the publisher plans to close production studios in San Francisco and Osaka and liquidate the headquarters in Sydney, and up to 277 employees will lose their jobs. About half of the XDefiant team will be given roles elsewhere.
Director of Studios and Portfolio Marie-Sophie de Waubert revealed the news in an email sent to Ubisoft employees, which was subsequently posted online, stating that the shooter was “unable to attract and retain enough players over the long term to compete at the level we aim for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market.”
The full statement can be found below.
Today I wanted to share with you that we have made the challenging decision to discontinue development of XDefiant.
Despite an encouraging start, passionate team work and a committed fan base, we have not been able to attract and retain enough players in the long term to compete at the level we strive for in the highly demanding, free-to-play FPS market. As a result, the game is too far from achieving the results required to enable further significant investment and we are announcing that we will end the game.
Specifically, this means that starting today, fresh downloads, player registrations, and purchases will no longer be available. Season 3 will still launch and the servers will remain busy until June 3, 2025 as a thank you to both our development teams who worked on it and busy XDefiant players.
Unfortunately, the discontinuation of XDefiant has challenging consequences for the teams working on the game. Even if almost half of the XDefiant team worldwide moves to other positions within Ubisoft, this decision will also result in the closure of our production studios in San Francisco and Osaka and the closure of our production facility in Sydney, with 143 people leaving in San Francisco and 134 people, which will probably fly to Osaka and Sydney. To the team members leaving Ubisoft, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your work and contributions. Please know that we are committed to supporting you through this transition.
Creating games as a service remains a pillar of our strategy and we have achieved significant successes such as Rainbow Six, The Crew and For Honor, among others. It’s a very competitive market and we will operate the lessons learned from XDefiant in our future live titles.
Globally, we are committed to taking the necessary steps to put your business back on the path to growth, innovation and creativity, and ensure your success. This means further radical evolution of our thinking in terms of production and business practices, which we will announce more soon, and, where necessary, conducting targeted restructuring. I know the situation raises questions and expectations, so we will provide regular and lucid updates.
Thank you very much for your continued commitment as we go through these challenging times together.
XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin also shared a message thanking fans and expressing that he was “heartbroken.” He also shared refund details, saying that any purchases made in the last 30 days will be fully refunded, and those who purchase the Ultimate Founder’s Pack will also receive a refund. The funds should be refunded automatically within 8 weeks, he added.
Unfortunately, I’m here today to announce that XDefiant will be shutting down. As of today (December 3, 2024), fresh downloads and player registrations will no longer be available. We will continue to release Season 3 content for the foreseeable future (exact date TBD), and the servers will remain busy until June 3, 2025.
For those who purchased the Ultimate Founder’s Pack, you will receive a full refund. Players who have made any purchases in the last 30 days will also receive a full refund. Refunds should be issued automatically within 8 weeks from today. More details can be found on our official website, https://XDefiant.com.
A few years ago, Ubisoft and the SF Dev team embarked on a bold adventure to create a fresh arcade shooter called XDefiant. It was an incredible challenge from the beginning. Not only did we try to shake up the genre by removing skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), bringing back a more “old school” arcade shooter, but we also delved into the land of free-to-play, high-risk, high-reward fun. And for that, I want to commend not only the development team, but also Ubisoft’s management for taking this opportunity!
Free-to-play especially is a long journey. Many free-to-play games take a long time to find their footing and become profitable. It’s a long journey for which Ubisoft and the teams working on the game have been preparing until recently. But unfortunately the journey became too long to continue sensibly.
Of course, I’m devastated that I have to write this post. Yes, this game has been a personal passion of mine for years, and yes, I know that not all challenges lead to victory, but I also want to acknowledge all the creators who are affected by this shutdown. Each of them is a real person with a life different from ours, and they all put a lot of their passion into creating this game. I hope they will be proud of what they have achieved. I know I will always be proud and grateful to have worked with such a great team! A band that really punched above their weight class.
And what they have achieved is truly extraordinary. Early player response to the launch of XDefiant was incredible – we broke internal records for fastest game by surpassing 5 million users, and ultimately had over 15 million players play our game! This is something to be extremely proud of, especially considering how challenging the genre is. So thank you to all the creators who put their passion into creating this game!
If there’s one thing I hope we can all take away from this experience, it’s the importance of open, sincere communication between developers and players. This “player first” mentality, along with respectful, non-toxic conversations between developers and players, is one of the standout differences that made XDefiant so special. Since my first post on XDefiant, I have wanted to champion this vision and hope it leaves a positive mark on the way the gaming industry treats its players and communities.
THANK YOU to our players! From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the amazing community that has developed around XDefiant. Your passion, creativity and commitment inspire us at every step.
With the greatest love and respect,
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XDefiant joins Concord as the latest service game to abruptly shut down shortly after launch. However, unlike Concord, XDefiant will receive some grace as its servers will not be shut down until June 3, 2025. Ubisoft also plans to continue releasing Season 3, although downloads and purchases will no longer be available.
Hello XDDefiant fans,
Unfortunately, I’m here today to announce that XDefiant will be shutting down.
As of today (December 3, 2024), fresh downloads and player registrations will no longer be available. We will continue to release Season 3 content in the near future (exact date…
— Marek Rubin (@PixelsofMark) December 3, 2024
First announced in 2021, XDefiant suffered several delays before finally launching in May. In our review, we wrote: “XDefiant joins the free-to-play shooter ranks as a respected, competitive FPS game built on Ubisoft’s various brands, but there’s little that really sets it apart.”
Despite middling reviews, XDefiant got off to a flying start, attracting one million unique players in two and a half hours, but its momentum quickly faded. In October, Rubin admitted that player numbers had dropped while denying persistent rumors of a closure.
XDefiant’s impending shutdown will deepen Ubisoft’s 2024 woes, which include lower-than-expected sales of major releases, delays and other setbacks. The collapse in share prices has reportedly caused the Guillemot family and Tencent to consider taking the company private. However, it’s not the only publisher that will struggle in 2024, as game developers of all sizes are plagued by sudden shutdowns and layoffs.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Got a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
