xDefiant, Ubisoft's F2P Shooter, Shutters As Studios Close and Downsize

Ubisoft's XDefiant: A Free-to-Play Shooter's Unexpected Demise

Ubisoft has announced the closure of its free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, with servers scheduled to shut down on June 3, 2025. This decision follows a shorter-than-expected lifespan for the game, despite an initially promising launch.

The Shutdown Process

The "sunset" process begins December 3, 2024, halting new player registrations, downloads, and in-game purchases. Ubisoft is committed to issuing refunds for eligible purchases. Full refunds will be provided for the Ultimate Founders Pack and in-game purchases made since November 3, 2024, with processing expected to take up to eight weeks (refunds to be completed by January 28, 2025). Contact Ubisoft for assistance if a refund isn't received by this date. Note that the standard and Elite Founders Packs are not eligible for refunds.

Why the Closure?

According to Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, Marie-Sophie Waubert, XDefiant failed to achieve the player base needed to compete in the highly competitive free-to-play market. Despite initial success and dedicated fans, sustained player engagement proved insufficient to justify further investment.

Impact on the Development Team

The closure will result in significant restructuring within Ubisoft. Approximately half of XDefiant's development team will transition to other roles within the company. However, the San Francisco and Osaka studios, along with a scaling down of the Sydney site, will close, impacting 143 employees in San Francisco and approximately 134 in Osaka and Sydney. This follows previous layoffs in August 2024 across various Ubisoft American studios. Ubisoft has pledged to support affected employees through severance packages and career assistance.

A Positive Note Despite Closure

While the shutdown is disappointing, XDefiant's Executive Producer, Mark Rubin, highlighted the positive aspects of the game's community and the respectful interaction between players and developers. Despite reaching 15 million players and initially breaking internal records with 5 million users shortly after launch (May 21, 2024), the game ultimately couldn't sustain its initial momentum in the face of competition.

Season 3: A Final Chapter

Despite the closure, Season 3 will launch as planned. While details remain scarce, speculation points to content from the Assassin's Creed franchise. However, access will be limited to players who purchased the game before December 3, 2024, as part of the sunsetting process. An earlier blog post detailing Season 3's content has since been removed.

Early Reports and the Release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Insider Gaming's August 2024 report citing low player counts as a reason for the game's potential demise, initially denied by Rubin, ultimately proved accurate. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 between Seasons 2 and 3 is speculated to have further impacted XDefiant's player base, contributing to Ubisoft's decision to cease operations.