Ubisoft's Free-to-Play Shooter Defiant Closed Amid Studio Closures

Ubisoft has announced the closure of its free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, with servers scheduled to shut down in June 2025. This article details the reasons behind this decision and its impact on players.

XDefiant Server Shutdown: June 2025

The "Sunset" Begins

Ubisoft will officially sunset XDefiant on June 3rd, 2025. The shutdown process commences December 3rd, 2024, halting new player registrations, downloads, and purchases of the game and its DLC. Ubisoft is committed to providing refunds for eligible in-game purchases.

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

Why the Shutdown?

Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, Marie-Sophie Waubert, attributed the closure to XDefiant's failure to achieve sustainable player numbers in the highly competitive free-to-play market. Despite initial success and a dedicated fanbase, the game fell short of expectations for long-term growth and profitability, 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 significantly downsize, resulting in job losses for 143 employees in San Francisco and 134 in Osaka and Sydney. This follows previous layoffs in August 2024 affecting various Ubisoft studios. Ubisoft is providing severance packages and career support to affected employees.

A Positive Reflection

Despite surpassing 15 million players and setting internal records for Ubisoft, XDefiant's performance ultimately didn't meet long-term profitability targets. Executive Producer Mark Rubin acknowledged the challenges of the free-to-play market and expressed gratitude for the positive community engagement.

Season 3 Release and Previous Reports

While the game is closing, Season 3 will still launch as planned. While specifics remain limited, speculation points to Assassin's Creed-themed content. A previous blog post detailing Season 3's content was removed following the shutdown announcement. Insider Gaming reported on potential closure in August 2024, citing low player counts, a claim initially denied by Rubin but ultimately proven accurate. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 likely contributed to XDefiant's waning player base.

The decision to shut down XDefiant reflects the challenging realities of the free-to-play market and the difficult but necessary choices sometimes faced by game developers.