“Call of Duty killer” XDefiant shuts down just weeks after denying closure claims

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The launch of XDefiant was an exciting time for players that were growing tired of the Call of Duty franchise struggling to reinvent itself. After missing its initial launch window, Ubisoft’s free-to-play arena shooter finally launched in May 2024 offering fans a game with old-school mechanics missing from recent FPS releases.

Despite showcasing some positive signs following launch, player count quickly plummeted due to network issues ruining the majority of matches. Despite denying claims of a shutdown earlier this year, XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin revealed XDefiant is shutting its doors.

XDefiant sunsets after two disappointing seasons

On December 3, 2024, Rubin revealed he was “heartbroken” to be announcing the game’s sunsetting. The initial response to XDefiant was hugely positive, becoming the fastest Ubisoft game to achieve more than five million users and having over 15 million fans drop into the action.

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Rubin also cites the free-to-play nature of XDefiant as one of several mitigating factors resulting in its downfall. “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. 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.”

The unfortunate news didn’t stop with the closure of XDefiant. In addition to the game shutting down, Ubisoft announced the closure of San Fransisco and Osaka studios resulting in 277 job losses. This total equates to approximately half of the team who worked on XDefiant.


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For those still wanting to play XDefiant before its servers switch off, the developers still plan on releasing its Season 3 update at a later date with the servers staying live until June 3, 2025.

Another Ubisoft failure

2024 has been far from smooth sailing for Ubisoft. With big releases struggling to perform, delays, and cancellations of unreleased games, the developer has struggled throughout the year. In recent months, it cancelled The Division: Heartland alongside pushing the Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date back to 2025 after the disappointing launch of Star Wars Outlaws.

XDefiant attempted to break the mould created by Call of Duty by removing skill-based matchmaking altogether, one criticism of Activision’s franchise that continues to spark debate among players. Despite its classic feel and features fans wanted, inconsistent hit registration was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

About the Author

Jon Nicholson

Jon is a Freelance Writer for VideoGamer. When he's not obsessing over Call of Duty and Warzone, you can find him on the virtual racetrack sim racing.

XDefiant

  • Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
  • Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Multiplayer, Shooter