Failed shooter XDefiant will be shuttered in 2025.
It has been a rough year for Ubisoft. Following a firestorm of controversy surrounding the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows (which was delayed to February of next year) and the seeming failure of Star Wars Outlaws, as well as the disaster that has been the release of online shooter XDefiant, Ubisoft is now letting go of staff and closing entire studios. nearly 300 workers have been let go by the company, as revealed today in a blog post from the company.
143 people are said to be departing Ubisoft San Francisco and 134 people are likely to depart Ubisoft Osaka and Sydney. SF and Osaka are each seeing their facilities closed completely, while Sydney is said to be "winding down." This is all apparently a result of the failure of XDefiant to find an audience, with Ubisoft chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert saying the following regarding the game:
Despite an encouraging start, the team’s passionate work, and a committed fan base, we’ve not been able to attract and retain enough players in the long run to compete at the level we aim for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market. As a result, the game is too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment, and we are announcing that we will be sunsetting it.
Globally, we are determined to take the necessary steps to put the company back on a path to growth, innovation and creativity and make sure we can set you up for success. This means continuing to radically evolve our mindset for Production and Business practices, which we will share more about soon, and doing targeted restructuring when necessary. I know that the situation brings questions and expectations, and we will share regular and transparent updates.
This unfortunate news follows outcry from many fans and pundits regarding the quality of Ubisoft's games of late, as well as questionable hiring practices and game content. Earlier in the year, Ubisoft saw its stock value drop to a 10-year low, with today's development seeming to cap off one of the roughest stretches in the company's history. What will this mean for Ubisoft in the long run? As Waubert puts it, the company is looking to "evolve [its] mindset for Production and Business practices," but without any concrete idea of what that means, fans and investors will simply have to brace themselves and see what direction the company goes in following today's sad news.
As for the aforementioned XDefiant, that game will see its services shuttered as of June 3, 2025. Although Season 3 will be launching as planned, new downloads, player registrations, and purchases will no longer be supported. If you're an active player, you'll be refunded for any money spent within the past month, and you'll also be able to request a refund for the Ultimate Founders Pack. XDefiant managed to last a lot longer than Concord, which was shut down after less than two weeks of being for sale, but considering it only just launched in May of this year, XDefiant remains a monumental disappointment.
Source: Ubisoft Blog Post