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

Ubisoft has announced the closure of its free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, with servers shutting down in June 2025. This article details the shutdown and its impact on players.

XDefiant Server Shutdown: June 2025

The "Sunset" Begins

Ubisoft will officially cease XDefiant operations on June 3, 2025. The shutdown process starts December 3, 2024, halting new player registrations, downloads, and in-game purchases. Refunds for eligible purchases are underway.

Ubisoft states: "Players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack will receive a full refund. Refunds for VC and DLC purchases made since November 3, 2024, will also be issued. Please allow up to 8 weeks for processing. Refunds should be completed by January 28, 2025. Contact Ubisoft support if you haven't received your refund by then." Note that only the Ultimate Founders Pack is eligible for a refund; Founder's Pack and Founder's Pack Elite are not.

Reasons Behind the Closure

Marie-Sophie Waubert, Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, explained that XDefiant failed to achieve the player base necessary for sustainability within the fiercely competitive free-to-play market. The game fell short of projections, making further investment unsustainable.

Impact on the Development Team

Approximately half of XDefiant's team will transition to other roles within Ubisoft. However, the San Francisco and Osaka studios will close, and the Sydney studio will downsize, resulting in significant job losses (143 in San Francisco, and 134 anticipated in Osaka and Sydney). This follows previous layoffs in August 2024 affecting 45 employees across American studios and 33 at Ubisoft Toronto. Ubisoft is providing severance and career assistance to affected employees.

A Positive Reflection

Despite initially exceeding 5 million users and a total of 15 million players, XDefiant's performance ultimately proved insufficient to justify continued support. While the game's launch in May 2024 was initially successful, Executive Producer Mark Rubin acknowledged the challenges of the free-to-play market and the ultimately unsustainable trajectory. He expressed gratitude for the community and highlighted the positive player-developer interactions.

Season 3 Release and Prior Reports

While the shutdown is confirmed, Season 3 will proceed as planned. While details remain scarce, speculation points to Assassin's Creed themed content. A previous blog post outlining Season 3's content (new faction, weapons, maps, etc.) has been removed.

Insider Gaming's August 2024 report of low player counts and the game's struggles, initially denied by Rubin, has unfortunately proven accurate. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 between Seasons 2 and 3 likely impacted XDefiant's performance.