Ubisoft is formally discontinuing XDefiant in 2025, the writer introduced Tuesday, with all new purchases and registrations being discontinued instantly. As a part of the shutdown, the writer plans to close down its manufacturing studios in San Francisco and Osaka whereas ramping down its web site in Sydney, with as much as 177 staff dropping their jobs. Roughly half of the XDefiant staff will probably be assigned roles elsewhere.
Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert revealed the information in an e mail despatched to Ubisoft staff that was subsequently posted on-line, saying that the shooter was “not capable of entice and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the degree we purpose for within the very demanding free-to-play FPS market.”
The full message could be discovered beneath.
Today, I wished to share with you that we’ve made the troublesome choice to discontinue improvement on XDefiant.
Despite an encouraging begin, the staff’s passionate work, and a dedicated fan base, we’ve not been capable of entice and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the degree we purpose for within the very demanding free-to-play FPS market. As a end result, the sport is simply too distant from reaching the outcomes required to allow additional important funding, and we’re saying that we’ll be sunsetting it.
Concretely, that signifies that as of right now, new downloads, participant registrations and purchases will now not be out there. Season 3 will nonetheless launch, and the servers will stay energetic till June 3, 2025, out of appreciation for each our dev groups who labored on it and for XDefiant’s energetic gamers.
Unfortunately, the discontinuation of XDefiant brings troublesome penalties for the groups engaged on this recreation. Even if nearly half of the XDefiant staff worldwide will probably be transitioning to different roles inside Ubisoft, this choice additionally results in the closing of our San Francisco and Osaka manufacturing studios and to the ramp down of our Sydney manufacturing web site, with 143 individuals departing in San Francisco and 134 individuals prone to depart in Osaka and Sydney. To these staff members leaving Ubisoft, I wish to categorical my deepest gratitude to your work and contributions. Please know that we’re dedicated to supporting you throughout this transition.
Developing Games-as-a-Service experiences stays a pillar of our technique, and we’ve achieved important successes, like Rainbow Six, The Crew, and For Honor, amongst others. It’s a extremely aggressive market, and we are going to apply the teachings realized with XDefiant to our future stay titles.
Globally, we’re decided to take the required steps to place the corporate again on a path to progress, innovation and creativity and ensure we will set you up for fulfillment. This means persevering with to radically evolve our mindset for Production and Business practices, which we are going to share extra about quickly, and doing focused restructuring when vital. I do know that the state of affairs brings questions and expectations, and we are going to share common and clear updates.
My honest thanks to your continued dedication as we navigate these attempting instances collectively.
XDefiant Executive Producer Mark Rubin additionally shared a message thanking followers and saying he was “heartbroken.” He additionally shared refund particulars, saying that any purchases made inside the final 30 days will probably be absolutely refunded and that those that purchases the Ultimate Founder’s Pack may also get their a reimbursement. Refunds ought to occur robotically with 8 weeks, he mentioned.
I’m sadly right here right now to announce that XDefiant will probably be shutting down. Starting right now (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will now not be out there. We will nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material within the close to future (precise date TBD) and the servers will stay energetic till June 3, 2025.
For those that bought the Ultimate Founder’s Pack, you’ll obtain a full refund. Players who made any purchases inside the final 30 days may also be absolutely refunded. Those refunds ought to occur robotically inside 8 weeks of right now and you’ll find extra particulars on our official web site, https://XDefiant.com.
A number of years in the past, Ubisoft and the SF Dev staff launched into a daring journey to develop a brand new arcade shooter known as XDefiant. It was from the beginning, an unbelievable problem. Not solely had been we attempting to shake up the style by eradicating Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) whereas bringing again a extra “old-school” arcade shooter expertise, however we had been additionally diving into the high-risk, high-reward realm of free-to-play. And for that I wish to applaud not solely the Dev staff but in addition Ubisoft management for taking that likelihood!
Free-to-play, specifically, is an extended journey. Many free-to-play video games take a very long time to search out their footing and develop into worthwhile. It’s an extended journey that Ubisoft and the groups engaged on the sport had been ready to make till very just lately. But sadly, the journey grew to become an excessive amount of to sensibly proceed.
I’m, in fact, heartbroken to should be penning this put up. Yes, this recreation has been a private ardour for me for years and sure, I do know that not all challenges result in victory, however I additionally wish to acknowledge all the builders who’re being affected by this closure. Each and each one among them is an actual particular person with an actual life separate from our personal they usually have all put a lot of their very own ardour into making this recreation. And I hope that they are often happy with what they did obtain. I do know that I’ll at all times be proud and grateful to have labored with such an amazing staff! A staff that basically punched above its weight class.
And what they achieved is actually outstanding. The early response from gamers when XDefiant launched was superb—we broke inside information for the quickest recreation to surpass 5 million customers and ultimately we had over 15 million gamers play our recreation! That is one thing to be extraordinarily happy with, particularly contemplating how powerful this style is. So, thanks to all the builders who put their ardour into making this recreation!
If there’s one factor, I hope we will all take away from this expertise, it’s the significance of open, trustworthy communication between builders and gamers. This “player-first” mentality together with respectful, non-toxic conversations between builders and gamers has been one of many standout variations that made XDefiant so particular. From my very first put up about XDefiant, this was the imaginative and prescient I wished to champion, and I hope it leaves a optimistic mark on how the sport trade treats its gamers and communities.
To our gamers, THANK YOU! From the underside of my coronary heart, I wish to categorical my deepest gratitude for the unbelievable neighborhood that has grown round XDefiant. Your ardour, creativity, and dedication have impressed us each step of the best way.
With the utmost of affection and respect,
Mark
XDefiant joins Concord as the newest service recreation to abruptly shutter not lengthy after launch. Unlike Concord, although, XDefiant will probably be given a little bit of grace, with its servers not resulting from shut down till June 3, 2025. Ubisoft additionally plans to go ahead with releasing Season 3, although downloads and purchases will now not be out there.
Hello XDefiant Fans,
I’m sadly right here right now to announce that XDefiant will probably be shutting down.
Starting right now (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will now not be out there. We will nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material within the close to future (precise date…
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) December 3, 2024
First introduced in 2021, XDefiant endured a number of delays earlier than lastly launching in May. We wrote in our assessment, “XDefiant joins the free-to-play shooter crowd as a good aggressive FPS constructed round numerous Ubisoft franchises, however little makes it actually stand out.”
Despite middling opinions, XDefiant obtained off to a quick begin, pulling in 1,000,000 distinctive gamers inside two and a half hours, however its momentum quickly dissipated. In October, Rubin acknowledged that gamers numbers had been down whereas denying persistent shutdown rumors.
XDefiant’s impending shutdown provides to Ubisoft’s woes in 2024, which has included lower-than-expected gross sales for main releases, delays, and different setbacks. Its share value collapse reportedly has the Guillemot household and Tencent contemplating taking the corporate non-public. It’s removed from the one writer to battle in 2024 although as recreation builders of all sizes have been racked by abrupt shutdowns and layoffs.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director in addition to co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
