Ubisoft Shuts Down Free-to-Play Shooter XDefiant, Lays Off 277 Employees
In a surprise move, Ubisoft has announced the discontinuation of its free-to-play, first-person shooter XDefiant. The closure will regrettably result in the layoff of at least 277 employees across Ubisoft studios worldwide.
Launched in early 2024, XDefiant built a player base of 15 million users. While expressing pride in the game’s success and the team behind it, Ubisoft acknowledged that XDefiant’s path to profitability was proving too challenging.
—”A few years ago, Ubisoft and the SF Dev team embarked on a bold adventure to develop a new arcade shooter called XDefiant,” said Mark Rubin, executive producer of XDefiant. “It was, from the start, an incredible challenge. Not only were we trying to shake up the genre by removing skill-based matchmaking 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. And for that I want to applaud not only the Dev team but also Ubisoft leadership for taking that chance.”
Despite the closure, for approximately half of the global XDefiant team, the journey with Ubisoft continues. They will transition into new roles within the company.
Unfortunately, this means the closure of production studios in San Francisco and Osaka, and the scaling back of operations in the Sydney studio.
Ubisoft will maintain active servers hosting game content until June 3rd, 2025, allowing players to continue enjoying the game during this period. Players who made a purchase within the last 30 days are eligible for refunds, and the company encourages those who wish to do so to reach out to their customer support team.
Downloads and new player registration for XDefiant are no longer available.
A Challenging Year for Ubisoft
This news comes amidst a difficult year for Ubisoft. Earlier in the year, the company announced the delay of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the anticipated next chapter in the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise. Originally slated for release in November 2024, the highly-anticipated game has been pushed back to sometime in 2025.
How might Ubisoft’s shutdown of XDefiant and accompanying layoffs impact the company’s reputation and future projects?
## Ubisoft Shuts Down XDefiant: An Interview
**Interviewer:** Joining us today to discuss the surprising news of Ubisoft shutting down its free-to-play shooter XDefiant, even after amassing 15 million players, is industry analyst Jane Doe. Welcome, Jane.
**Jane Doe:** Thank you for having me.
**Interviewer:** Let’s jump right in. Ubisoft cites a multitude of factors leading to this decision. What are your thoughts on the company shutting down a game that, on the surface, seemed to be doing relatively well?
**Jane Doe:** This is indeed a surprising move, especially considering the player base XDefiant managed to cultivate. [[1](https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/3/24312584/ubisoft-xdefiant-shutting-down-refunds)]indicates the game will be playable until December 2024, suggesting Ubisoft has a plan to transition away from it gradually. This may be a strategic move to minimize potential backlash from the community.
There are likely a number of factors involved. While player numbers looked good, we don’t know the full picture regarding retention rates, monetization, and development costs. Maybe even though they had 15 million users, a significant portion weren’t actively playing or spending money.
**Interviewer**: And the layoffs that accompany this shutdown are unfortunate news indeed. 277 employees across studios globally are affected. Does this point to wider issues within Ubisoft?
**Jane Doe:** Unfortunately, yes. The gaming industry has seen a wave of layoffs recently, and Ubisoft isn’t immune to the challenges.
This shutdown, combined with the layoffs, suggests Ubisoft might be reassessing its portfolio and focusing resources on more promising projects.
**Interviewer:** Looking forward, what does this mean for the future of free-to-play shooters, and for Ubisoft in particular?
**Jane Doe:** The free-to-play model is still a viable one, but it’s becoming increasingly competitive. Games need to offer a truly compelling experience to stand out and generate sustainable revenue.
As for Ubisoft, they’ve stated a commitment to supporting their other franchises. However, this news will undoubtedly impact their reputation and investor confidence to some extent. They’ll need to demonstrate a clear strategy for future success to regain momentum.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Jane, for your insights. This is certainly a complex situation, and we’ll be watching closely to see how it unfolds.
**Jane Doe:** My pleasure.
