Ubisoft shuts down its free-to-play shooter XDefiant

Ubisoft released XDefiant, a free-to-play game modelled after vintage arcady first-person shooters, back in 2021. The game was eventually released for PC and consoles in May of this year after a few delays. However, Ubisoft is sunsetting the game a little more than six months later.

At debut, Ubisoft San Francisco's free-to-play game saw a significant spike in user numbers. It was even cited by Ubisoft as one of the factors contributing to its "solid start" to the fiscal year. But by the end of August, there were rumours that the player base was shrinking. The player numbers may have been further impacted by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's wildly successful debut.

"It was from the start, an incredible challenge," said Mark Rubin, the executive producer of XDefiant, in a social media post. "Not only were we trying to shake up the genre by removing Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) while bringing back a more 'old-school' arcade shooter experience, but we were also diving into the high-risk, high-reward realm of free-to-play. It takes a while for a lot of free-to-play games to establish themselves and turn a profit. Up until recently, Ubisoft and the game development teams were ready to embark on this lengthy trip. Unfortunately, though, the trek proved too much to bear."

Rubin did not address the fate of Ubisoft San Francisco's development team, but according to an Insider-Gaming story, Ubisoft will lay off another group of employees in February 2025. According to reports, this will affect the main and supporting studios who worked on XDefiant.

New players on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 can no longer access XDefiant, and purchases are no longer accepted in the in-game microtransaction store. The servers will remain operational until June 3, 2025, nevertheless, for individuals who already have the game in their library. Strangely, the current player base will still receive a Season 3 content update.

Anyone who bought the Ultimate Founder's Pack for the game can now get a refund from Ubisoft. Additionally, DLC and in-game purchases purchased after November 3, 2024, will also be reimbursed.