Ubisoft has announced the closure of its free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, with servers shutting 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 3rd, 2025. The shutdown process commences December 3rd, 2024, halting new player registration, downloads, and in-game purchases. Refunds for eligible purchases are underway.
"Players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack will receive a full refund. Refunds for VC and DLC purchases made since November 3rd, 2024, will also be issued. Please allow up to 8 weeks for processing. Refunds should be completed by January 28th, 2025. Contact Ubisoft support for assistance after this date." Only the Ultimate Founder's Pack is eligible for a refund; Founder's Pack and Founder's Pack Elite are not.
Reasons Behind the Closure
Ubisoft's Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer, Marie-Sophie Waubert, explained that XDefiant failed to achieve the player base needed for sustainability in the competitive free-to-play market. Despite initial success and dedicated fans, long-term player retention proved insufficient to justify further investment.
Impact on the Development Team
Approximately half of the XDefiant team will transition to other roles within Ubisoft. However, the San Francisco and Osaka studios will close, and the Sydney studio will downsize, resulting in significant job losses (143 in San Francisco and 134 anticipated in Osaka and Sydney). This follows previous layoffs in August 2024, affecting 45 employees across American studios and 33 in Toronto. Ubisoft is providing severance packages and career support to affected employees.
A Positive Reflection
Despite a strong initial launch (5 million users shortly after release on May 21st, 2024, and 15 million total players), XDefiant ultimately couldn't maintain profitability. Executive Producer Mark Rubin acknowledged the challenges of the free-to-play market and expressed gratitude for the positive player-developer interactions.
Season 3 Release and Prior Reports
While the game's future is ending, Season 3 will still launch as planned, though details remain scarce. Speculation points to Assassin's Creed-themed content. Previous reports of low player counts and a reliance on Season 3 to revitalize the game, initially denied, have proven accurate. The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 likely impacted XDefiant's trajectory. Ultimately, Ubisoft chose to discontinue the game.
