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 shedding their jobs. Roughly half of the XDefiant workforce can 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 capable of appeal to and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the stage we intention for within the very demanding free-to-play FPS market.”
The complete message might be discovered beneath.
Right this moment, I wished to share with you that we’ve made the troublesome resolution to discontinue growth on XDefiant.
Regardless of an encouraging begin, the workforce’s passionate work, and a dedicated fan base, we’ve not been capable of appeal to and retain sufficient gamers in the long term to compete on the stage we intention for within the very demanding free-to-play FPS market. Consequently, 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 at this time, new downloads, participant registrations and purchases will now 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 workforce worldwide can 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 workforce members leaving Ubisoft, I need to categorical my deepest gratitude on 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’ll apply the teachings discovered 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 development, innovation and creativity and ensure we are able to set you up for fulfillment. This implies persevering with to radically evolve our mindset for Manufacturing and Enterprise practices, which we’ll share extra about quickly, and doing focused restructuring when needed. I do know that the state of affairs brings questions and expectations, and we’ll share common and clear updates.
My honest thanks on your continued dedication as we navigate these attempting occasions collectively.
XDefiant Govt Producer Mark Rubin additionally shared a message thanking followers and saying he was “heartbroken.” He additionally shared refund particulars, saying that any purchases made throughout the final 30 days can be totally refunded and that those that purchases the Final Founder’s Pack may also get their a refund. Refunds ought to occur routinely with 8 weeks, he stated.
I’m sadly right here at this time to announce that XDefiant can be shutting down. Beginning at this time (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will now not be obtainable. We’ll nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material within the close to future (actual date TBD) and the servers will stay energetic till June 3, 2025.
For many who bought the Final Founder’s Pack, you’ll obtain a full refund. Gamers who made any purchases throughout the final 30 days may also be totally refunded. These refunds ought to occur routinely inside 8 weeks of at this time and yow will discover extra particulars on our official web site, https://XDefiant.com.
A number of years in the past, Ubisoft and the SF Dev workforce 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 Ability-Based mostly 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 workforce but in addition Ubisoft management for taking that likelihood!
Free-to-play, specifically, is a protracted journey. Many free-to-play video games take a very long time to seek out their footing and turn out to be worthwhile. It’s a protracted journey that Ubisoft and the groups engaged on the sport have been ready to make till very lately. However sadly, the journey turned an excessive amount of to sensibly proceed.
I’m, in fact, heartbroken to need to be penning this put up. 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. Each one in every of them is an actual individual with an actual life separate from our personal they usually have all put a lot of their very own ardour into making this sport. 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 workforce! A workforce that actually punched above its weight class.
And what they achieved is really exceptional. The early response from gamers when XDefiant launched was superb—we broke inside data for the quickest sport to surpass 5 million customers and ultimately we had over 15 million gamers play our sport! That’s one thing to be extraordinarily happy 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 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 need to categorical my deepest gratitude for the unimaginable 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 Harmony as the latest service game to abruptly shutter not lengthy after launch. Not like Harmony, although, XDefiant can be given a little bit of grace, with its servers not attributable to shut down till June 3, 2025. Ubisoft additionally plans to go ahead with releasing Season 3, although downloads and purchases will now not be obtainable.
Good day XDefiant Followers,
I’m sadly right here at this time to announce that XDefiant can be shutting down.
Beginning at this time (December 3, 2024), new downloads and participant registrations will now not be obtainable. We’ll nonetheless launch our Season 3 content material within 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 Could. We wrote in our review, “XDefiant joins the free-to-play shooter crowd as a good aggressive FPS constructed round varied Ubisoft franchises, however little makes it actually stand out.”
Regardless of middling opinions, XDefiant bought 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 sales for major releases, delays, and different setbacks. Its share worth collapse reportedly has the Guillemot family and Tencent considering taking the company private. It’s miles 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.
