Ubisoft is formally discontinuing XDefiant in 2025, the publisher announced 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 website in Sydney, with as much as 277 workers dropping their jobs. Roughly half of the XDefiant staff might be assigned roles elsewhere.
Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert revealed the information in an electronic mail despatched to Ubisoft workers that was subsequently posted on-line, saying that the shooter was “not in a position to entice and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the stage we purpose for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market.”
The total message could be discovered beneath.
At present, I needed to share with you that we’ve made the troublesome resolution to discontinue growth on XDefiant.
Regardless of an encouraging begin, the staff’s passionate work, and a dedicated fan base, we’ve not been in a position to entice and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the stage we purpose for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market. Consequently, the sport is just too distant from reaching the outcomes required to allow additional important funding, and we’re asserting that we’ll be sunsetting it.
Concretely, that implies that as of as we speak, new downloads, participant registrations and purchases will not be obtainable. 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.
Sadly, the discontinuation of XDefiant brings troublesome penalties for the groups engaged on this sport. Even when virtually half of the XDefiant staff worldwide might be transitioning to different roles inside Ubisoft, this resolution additionally results in the closing of our San Francisco and Osaka manufacturing studios and to the ramp down of our Sydney manufacturing website, with 143 individuals departing in San Francisco and 134 individuals more likely to depart in Osaka and Sydney. To these staff members leaving Ubisoft, I need to categorical my deepest gratitude in your work and contributions. Please know that we’re dedicated to supporting you throughout this transition.
Growing Video 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 reside titles.
Globally, we’re decided to take the required steps to place the corporate again on a path to progress, innovation and creativity and be sure we are able to set you up for achievement. This implies persevering with to radically evolve our mindset for Manufacturing and Enterprise practices, which we are going to share extra about quickly, and doing focused restructuring when essential. I do know that the scenario brings questions and expectations, and we are going to share common and clear updates.
My honest thanks in your continued dedication as we navigate these attempting occasions collectively.
XDefiant Government 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 might be absolutely refunded and that those that purchases the Final Founder’s Pack can even get their a reimbursement. Refunds ought to occur mechanically with 8 weeks, he mentioned.
I’m sadly right here as we speak to announce that XDefiant might be shutting down. Beginning as we speak (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will not be obtainable. We are going to nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material in the close to future (actual date TBD) and the servers will stay energetic till June 3, 2025.
For individuals who bought the Final Founder’s Pack, you’ll obtain a full refund. Gamers who made any purchases inside the final 30 days can even be absolutely refunded. These refunds ought to occur mechanically inside 8 weeks of as we speak 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 unimaginable problem. Not solely have been we attempting to shake up the style by eradicating Talent-Primarily based Matchmaking (SBMM) whereas bringing again a extra “old-school” arcade shooter expertise, however we have been additionally diving into the high-risk, high-reward realm of free-to-play. And for that I need to applaud not solely the Dev staff but in addition Ubisoft management for taking that likelihood!
Free-to-play, in explicit, is an extended journey. Many free-to-play video games take a very long time to seek out their footing and turn into worthwhile. It’s an extended journey that Ubisoft and the groups engaged on the sport have been ready to make till very just lately. However sadly, the journey grew to become an excessive amount of to sensibly proceed.
I’m, in fact, heartbroken to need to be penning this submit. Sure, this sport has been a private ardour for me for years and sure, I do know that not all challenges result in victory, however I additionally need to acknowledge the entire builders who’re being affected by this closure. Every and each certainly one of them is an actual individual with an actual life separate from our personal and they’ve all put a lot of their very own ardour into making this sport. And I hope that they are often pleased with what they did obtain. I do know that I’ll all the time be proud and grateful to have labored with such an important staff! A staff that basically punched above its weight class.
And what they achieved is really outstanding. The early response from gamers when XDefiant launched was wonderful—we broke inside information for the quickest sport to surpass 5 million customers and in the top we had over 15 million gamers play our sport! That’s one thing to be extraordinarily pleased with, particularly contemplating how powerful this style is. So, thanks to the entire builders who put their ardour into making this sport!
If there’s one factor, I hope we are able to all take away from this expertise, it’s the significance of open, sincere 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 submit about XDefiant, this was the imaginative and prescient I needed to champion, and I hope it leaves a constructive mark on how the sport business treats its gamers and communities.
To our gamers, THANK YOU! From the underside of my coronary heart, I need to categorical my deepest gratitude for the unimaginable group that has grown round XDefiant. Your ardour, creativity, and dedication have impressed us each step of the way in which.
With the utmost of affection and respect,
Mark
XDefiant joins Harmony as the most recent service sport to abruptly shutter not lengthy after launch. In contrast to Harmony, although, XDefiant might be given a little bit of grace, with its servers not because of shut down till June 3, 2025. Ubisoft additionally plans to go ahead with releasing Season 3, although downloads and purchases will not be obtainable.
Good day XDefiant Followers,
I’m sadly right here as we speak to announce that XDefiant might be shutting down.
Beginning as we speak (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will not be obtainable. We are going to nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material in the close to future (actual date…
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) December 3, 2024
First introduced in 2021, XDefiant endured a number of delays earlier than lastly launching in Might. We wrote in our evaluation, “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.”
Regardless of middling critiques, XDefiant acquired off to a quick begin, pulling in one million distinctive gamers inside two and a half hours, however its momentum quickly dissipated. In October, Rubin acknowledged that gamers numbers have 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 is from the one writer to battle in 2024 although as sport builders of all sizes have been racked by abrupt shutdowns and layoffs.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Information Director in addition to co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Ship her a DM at @the_katbot.