Why is Ubisoft Planning to Shut Down Free-to-Play Game 'XDefiant' Shortly After Launch?

Gamers who invest any time in the hobby at all know that nothing lasts forever. Good franchises go down just when you think they've hit their height, and even the franchises that stay alive can be turned into something unrecognizable with a new creative team at the helm. So gamers tend to live each game like it might be the last good one in the series, or the last enjoyable first-person shooter (FPS).

Which is a decent way to approach the "quick to rise/quick to fall" world of gaming post-2020. Unfortunately, another popular game has now joined a long line of "free-to-play" (F2P) games going down way too soon. Ubisoft has announced that they're shutting down F2P online FPS XDefiant, which just launched in May 2024. Here's what we know about the decision and time-frame, and what players who have invested money in the game can expect to happen.

On Dec. 3, 2024, Ubisoft's XDefiant team made the announcement that they were sunsetting the game. This means that they're shutting it down and closing certain features in preparation to do so. Although the game has a rabid fan base and seemed to be doing well from the outside, IGN reports that an internal email explains that the game was "not able to attract and retain enough players."

Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert send an email to Ubisoft employees saying, "Today, I wanted to share with you that we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue development on XDefiant. 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 email continues, "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."

And XDefiant Executive Producer Mark Rubin released a statement explaining what the plan was for sunsetting. He added, "I am, of course, heartbroken to have to be writing this post."

"Yes, this game has been a personal passion for me for years and yes, I know that not all challenges lead to victory, but I also want to recognize all of the developers who are being affected by this closure. "

Mark's email adds gratitude for the player base, reading, "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."

According to the email from Marie-Sophie along with the statement from Mark, this is what players can expect:

As of Dec. 3, 2024, no more new game downloads will be available, and no new profiles can be made. Season 3 content will still launch as planned, and the servers will remain playable until June 3, 2025. Players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack will get a full refund.

Players who made any purchases within the last 30 days will also be fully refunded. The statement explains that processing the refunds may take as long as eight weeks. They added, "For more details on refunds, please visit www.XDefiant.com."

Fans took to social media with concerns about the time and money they've put into the game. Under the statement, one fan wrote, "I was trying so hard to get pyroclastic. Finally got a 2.1 kd ... 400hrs ... Now what?"

Another questioned, "So for all the money you guys took for skins/battle pass, you guys just keeping that money too?" To which one user replied, "Fr I bought so much in the other seasons, I guess 'old' players don't get anything."

Others blamed the Call of Duty effect on the game's failure, claiming that the popular competing FPS has made it impossible for any other F2P FPS to succeed when enough players won't make the leap by migrating to a new game.

Regardless of player frustration, as of now Ubisoft is only offering the refunds for purchases made on the last 30 days and do not seem poised to change that policy. It's a heartbreaking development for fans of the game, but not entirely surprising in today's ephemeral world of gaming.