xDefiant, Ubisoft's F2P Shooter, Shutters As Studios Close and Downsize

Ubisoft has made the tough decision to shut down the servers for XDefiant, its free-to-play shooter game, in June 2025. Here's everything you need to know about this unexpected development and its impact on the game's community.

XDefiant is Shutting Down its Servers on June 2025

"Sunset" Process Initiating

Ubisoft has announced that XDefiant's servers will officially close on June 3, 2025, marking the end of its journey. The shutdown process, referred to as "sunset," will begin on December 3, 2024, preventing new players from downloading, registering, or purchasing the game and its DLCs. Ubisoft has also committed to refunding in-game purchases.

"For those who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack, you will receive a full refund. Additionally, players who have made VC and DLC purchases since November 3rd, 2024, will also be fully refunded. Please note that processing these refunds will take up to 8 weeks."

Players can expect to receive their refunds by January 28, 2025. If you haven't received your refund by this date, you're encouraged to contact Ubisoft for assistance. Only purchases of the Ultimate Founder’s Pack are eligible for refunds; the Founder’s Pack and Founder’s Pack Elite are not.

Why is Ubisoft Shutting Down XDefiant?

Marie-Sophie Waubert, Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, explained the reasoning behind the shutdown in a blog post dated December 4. Despite a promising launch, XDefiant struggled to maintain a competitive edge in the free-to-play market.

"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," Waubert stated. "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."

Half of the Team Transitioning to Other Roles

The decision to shut down XDefiant will see half of its development team transition to other roles within Ubisoft, while the other half will leave the company. This move will also lead to the closure or downsizing of several studios involved in the game's development.

"Almost half of the XDefiant team worldwide will be transitioning to other roles within Ubisoft," Waubert explained. "This decision also leads to the closing of our San Francisco and Osaka production studios and to the ramp down of our Sydney production site, with 143 people departing in San Francisco and 134 people likely to depart in Osaka and Sydney."

Ubisoft has previously laid off 45 employees across its American studios in San Francisco, California, and North Carolina on August 16, 2024, and 33 employees in Ubisoft Toronto. The company is committed to supporting affected employees through severance packages and a career assistance program.

Leaving the Game on a Positive Note

XDefiant enjoyed initial success, breaking Ubisoft's internal record with 5 million users shortly after its May 21, 2024 release. Over its lifetime, 15 million players engaged with the game. However, it ultimately failed to meet Ubisoft's profitability expectations.

"Free-to-play, in particular, is a long journey. Many free-to-play games take a long time to find their footing and become profitable," said XDefiant’s Executive Producer Mark Rubin. "It’s a long journey that Ubisoft and the teams working on the game were prepared to make until very recently. But unfortunately, the journey became too much to sensibly continue."

Despite the disappointing news, Rubin remains positive about the game's community, highlighting the respectful and non-toxic interactions between players and developers.

"To our players, THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible community that has grown around XDefiant. Your passion, creativity, and dedication have inspired us every step of the way."

Season 3 is Still Releasing Amidst Shutdown Announcement

Though XDefiant's servers are set to close next year, Season 3 will proceed as planned. While details are sparse, rumors suggest it will feature content inspired by the Assassin’s Creed series.

According to the game’s Year 1 Roadmap blog post from September 2024, Season 3 will introduce a new faction, weapons, maps, and a new mode. However, access to this final season will be limited to players who purchased the game before December 3, 2024, as part of the "sunset process."

This roadmap blog post has since been replaced by the shutdown announcement titled "Our Message to Players."

Ubisoft Pulling the Plug on XDefiant Reported Early On

Rumors about XDefiant's struggles surfaced on August 29, 2024, when Insider Gaming reported a declining player count, despite denials from Rubin in the game’s Year 1 Roadmap blog post.

"Is the game dying? No, the game is absolutely not dying," Rubin claimed. "We know there are things we need to improve, like Netcode/Hitreg and adding more content to progression, but the game is doing well."

Sources suggested that Ubisoft was banking heavily on Season 3 to revive the game's fortunes. However, the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 between Seasons 2 and 3 may have impacted player interest. Ultimately, Ubisoft decided to cut its losses and announce the shutdown ahead of Season 3's release.