Ubisoft Shuts Down F2P Shooter 'xDefiant'

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 shutdown and its impact on players.

XDefiant Server Shutdown: June 2025

The "Sunset" Begins

Ubisoft will officially cease XDefiant operations on June 3, 2025. The shutdown process commences December 3, 2024, prohibiting new downloads, registrations, and purchases. Ubisoft is committed to providing refunds for in-game purchases.

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

Reasons Behind the Closure

Marie-Sophie Waubert, Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, explained that XDefiant failed to achieve the player base needed to thrive in the competitive free-to-play market. Despite initial success and dedicated fans, sustained player engagement proved insufficient to justify further investment.

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 approximately 134 in Osaka and Sydney. This follows earlier layoffs in August 2024 affecting 45 employees across American studios and 33 in Toronto. Ubisoft is providing severance packages and career assistance.

A Positive Reflection

Despite initially exceeding 5 million users and reaching 15 million players overall, XDefiant's performance ultimately fell short of Ubisoft's expectations. Executive Producer Mark Rubin acknowledged the challenges of the free-to-play market and the game's inability to reach sustainable profitability. He highlighted the positive aspects of the community interaction, praising the respectful communication between players and developers.

Season 3 Release and Subsequent Shutdown

While the shutdown is confirmed, Season 3 will proceed as planned. While details remain scarce, speculation points to content from the Assassin's Creed franchise. The original Season 3 roadmap has been removed from the website, replaced by the shutdown announcement.

Early Reports and Market Competition

Insider Gaming reported low player counts as a contributing factor to XDefiant's struggles in August 2024. While initially denied, the shutdown announcement confirms these concerns. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 between Seasons 2 and 3 likely further impacted XDefiant's player base.