In recent months, the lead developer repeatedly insisted that XDefiant is by no means dying, despite corresponding reports and declining player numbers. However, he had to swallow the bitter pill and announce the end.
What does Mark Rubin announce in detail? Via X, the Executive Producer of Ubisoft San Francisco states that work on XDefiant will be discontinued.
- From now on, no new downloads and registrations will be possible.
- The contents of Season 3 are still set to go live. The servers will go offline permanently on June 3, 2025.
- Buyers of the Ultimate Founder’s Pack will receive a refund.
- Players who made a purchase in the last 30 days will also receive a full refund.
A comprehensive FAQ that also answers questions about refunds can be found at ubisoft.com.
Here is one of the trailers for XDefiant:
End with Announcement
What were the problems with XDefiant? XDefiant is a fast-paced PvP shooter from Ubisoft that was expected to compete with Call of Duty in the mid-term with its service model. The game came out after delays in May 2024 and has since been expanded by two seasons.
The special features of XDefiant:
- In certain game modes, there is no skill-based matchmaking (SBMM).
- The playable factions, all of which have different abilities and gadgets, are based on well-known Ubisoft game series like The Division, Splinter Cell, and Watch Dogs.
After a strong start (with a Ubisoft record for the game that attracted 5 million players the fastest), the PvP shooter struggled with declining player numbers; in addition, cheaters and engine problems caused frustration. In recent weeks, reports from industry insiders emerged predicting the end of XDefiant if no miracle occurred.
The developers, for their part, have repeatedly emphasized that there are no plans for the game’s discontinuation. For example, they explained that the low player numbers were also due to the fact that little energy was put into marketing. They intended to address that only after fixing the major issues of the shooter. Now it is clear that this will not happen anymore.
Big Layoff Wave at Ubisoft?
Industry insider Stephen Totilo reports via bsky.app that the game discontinuation is likely not the end of the matter. Apparently, Ubisoft is closing the studios in San Francisco and Osaka. The team in Sydney is reportedly being “scaled down”.
According to the post, part of the XDefiant developers are transitioning to other projects. Up to 177 employees are reportedly set to lose their jobs due to these measures, according to Totilo.
MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier was already skeptical after the test weekend in April 2024 that the Ubisoft shooter could become a big hit. You can find his impressions from back then here: XDefiant is supposed to be the big CoD killer, but the latest test leaves me doubting the shooter
