Ubisoft continues freefall as publisher shutters free-to-play shooter XDefiant, reportedly closing studios

by

What you need to know

  • Ubisoft launched free-to-play first-person shooter XDefiant on May 21, 2024, after years of open and closed testing.
  • While the game saw initial success in garnering millions of players, this playerbase quickly collapsed in the months after launch.
  • Ubisoft is shutting XDefiant down in 2025, and is barring new players from downloading the game starting Dec. 3, 2024.
  • Per Game File’s Stephen Totilo, Ubisoft is shuttering its San Francisco and Osaka studios, laying off around 177 employees, with half of the XDefiant team are reportedly being moved to other projects.

As a long-time gamer with memories spanning decades of digital battles and virtual camaraderie, I can’t help but feel a sense of melancholy upon hearing about Ubisoft’s decision to shut down XDefiant. The game was a beacon of hope in the competitive shooter landscape, and it’s disheartening to see such potential unrealized.

Once again, it’s a gloomy day for the gaming world, as such incidents have been happening regularly with almost mechanical frequency over the past few months.

Ubisoft is closing down the free-to-play shooter game XDefiant, and as of next Tuesday, it won’t be possible for new users to download it. According to a tweet from the official XDefiant account, the game will continue to function for existing players until June 3, 2025. The promised Season 3 content is still expected to arrive before then, though an exact release date hasn’t been specified yet.

Read moreApple Maps now works on your Windows PC... sort of

According to Stephen Totilo from Game File, the troubling developments continue as Ubisoft decides to shutter both its Ubisoft San Francisco and Ubisoft Osaka studios, resulting in approximately 177 employees being let go who were part of the team working on XDefiant.

Initially unveiled in the year 2021, XDefiant underwent extensive testing for several years before its official release on May 21, 2024, available for play on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. This game was strategically developed to rival Microsoft’s Call of Duty franchise by another company.

Developing…

Read More

2024-12-04 03:38