Ubisoft has announced the imminent shutdown of its free-to-play first-person shooter, XDefiant. The game, which started off with a lot of excitement just a few months ago, will be shutting down, leaving both players and developers facing some unexpected changes.
A Game’s Brief Journey
XDefiant was launched on May 21st of this year and seemed to have a lot of potential at first. Just hours after its launch, the game drew in 1 million players, sparking a lot of excitement and hope for its future. But behind the scenes, things were quite different. Ubisoft’s leadership, including CEO Yves Guillemot, acknowledged during an investor call in September that the game failed to meet their expectations.
The company’s internal communication, shared by chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert, revealed the harsh truth. Even with a dedicated development team and a loyal fan base, XDefiant struggled to keep enough players engaged over time to compete in the tough free-to-play shooter market.
Consequences and Next Steps
The shutdown will have some serious consequences. Ubisoft will completely close its San Francisco and Osaka production studios, resulting in layoffs affecting nearly 300 employees. Specifically, 143 staff members from the San Francisco office and 134 from Osaka and Sydney locations will be impacted. The remaining half of the XDefiant production team will transition to other roles within the company.
Key details of the closure include:
- Servers will remain operational until June 3, 2025
- Game downloads will be discontinued
- Player registration will be closed
- Players who purchased the $69.99 Ultimate Founder’s Pack will receive full automatic refunds
- All purchases made within the previous 30 days are eligible for refund
- Refunds are expected to be processed within eight weeks
Executive producer Mark Rubin had previously tried to set realistic expectations, saying in October that they were holding back on marketing as a strategy to improve the game before ramping up promotional efforts. He had explicitly stated there were no plans to close XDefiant after its fourth season.
The closure is happening during Ubisoft’s ongoing struggles as a company. The company has reduced its workforce by more than 2,000 employees in the past two years and reported a nearly 20% decline in sales. Even with these challenges, Ubisoft is still focused on its games-as-a-service approach, highlighting successes like Rainbow Six, The Crew, and For Honor.
The story of XDefiant is a clear reminder of how unpredictable the gaming industry can be. Even games that start off strong can find it hard to keep players interested over time and stay financially viable.
Read this also: First Look at Switch 2 Controllers: What Fans Are Saying
