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

Ubisoft's XDefiant: A Short-Lived Free-to-Play Shooter to Shut Down in June 2025

Ubisoft has announced the closure of its free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, with servers officially shutting down on June 3rd, 2025. This decision follows a "sunset" process beginning December 3rd, 2024, halting new player registrations, downloads, and in-game purchases. Ubisoft is committed to providing full refunds for eligible purchases.

Refund Details:

• Full refunds will be issued for the Ultimate Founders Pack.
• Refunds will also be given for in-game purchases (VC and DLC) made since November 3rd, 2024.
• Refunds are expected to be processed within 8 weeks, with a target completion date of January 28th, 2025. Contact Ubisoft support if a refund is not received by this date.
• Note: The standard Founder's Pack and Founder's Pack Elite are not eligible for refunds.

Reasons Behind the Shutdown:

According to Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, Marie-Sophie Waubert, XDefiant failed to achieve the player base necessary to compete in the highly competitive free-to-play FPS market. Despite a promising launch and dedicated fanbase, sustained player growth proved insufficient to justify further investment.

Impact on Ubisoft Studios and Employees:

The closure will result in significant changes within Ubisoft. Approximately half of the XDefiant team will transition to other roles within the company. However, the San Francisco and Osaka studios will close, and the Sydney studio will downsize, leading to job losses for 143 employees in San Francisco and approximately 134 in Osaka and Sydney. This follows previous layoffs in August 2024. Ubisoft is providing severance packages and career assistance to affected employees.

A Positive Reflection Despite Closure:

Despite the disappointing outcome, XDefiant's Executive Producer, Mark Rubin, highlighted the positive aspects of the game's development, particularly the strong, respectful community fostered during its run. While the game initially exceeded expectations with 5 million users shortly after launch, and 15 million overall, long-term sustainability proved challenging in the competitive F2P landscape.

Season 3 Launch and Prior Reports:

Season 3 of XDefiant will still launch as planned, although details remain scarce. Previous reports from August 2024 indicated concerns about low player numbers, a claim initially denied by Rubin but ultimately proven true. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 between Seasons 2 and 3 likely impacted XDefiant's player retention. The game's Year 1 Roadmap blog post, which initially detailed Season 3's content (including a new faction, weapons, maps, and game mode), has since been removed. Season 3 will only be accessible to those who acquired the game before December 3rd, 2024.