Ubisoft will shut down XDefiant by 3 June 2025, due to a reported failure to “attract and retain enough players in the long run to compete at the level [Ubisoft] aim[s] for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market.” Ubisoft has also confirmed a number of its offices will be closed or “ramped down” imminently as a “difficult consequence” of XDefiant‘s closure.
In a message to staff from Marie-Sophie de Waubert, Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer of Ubisoft, it was revealed that Ubisoft San Francisco and Ubisoft Osaka will be closed entirely, and the Ubisoft Sydney production site will also “ramp down.” 143 people based in San Francisco will lose their jobs, and an additional 134 people are “likely to depart” in Osaka and Sydney. Ubisoft has also confirmed “half of the XDefiant team worldwide will be transitioning to other roles within Ubisoft.”
Despite this failure, de Waubert confirmed Ubisoft remains committed to developing games-as-a-service experiences due to the “significant successes” of the past.
“Globally, we are determined to take the necessary steps to put the company back on a path to growth, innovation and creativity and make sure we can set you up for success,” de Waubert said. “This means continuing to radically evolve our mindset for Production and Business practices, which we will share more about soon, and doing targeted restructuring when necessary.”
Read: XDefiant Review – Flashy and fun, but will it linger?
In a separate post, Mark Rubin, XDefiant Executive Producer, confirmed there will be refunds organised for players who made purchases in the last 30 days – but at this stage, that’s not the most important thing to note.
“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 recognise all of the developers who are being affected by this closure,” Rubin said. “Each and every one of them is a real person with a real life separate from our own and they have all put so much of their own passion into making this game. And I hope that they can be proud of what they did achieve.”
As noted, hundreds of Ubisoft employees will now be out of work, just weeks before Christmas. What should be a restful, happy time with family will instead be defined by heartbreak and frustration – particularly given Ubisoft’s messaging indicates a single game was the cause of this mass layoff. Developers in San Francisco, Osaka, and Sydney now head towards a more uncertain future.
Our thoughts are with those now out of work, during one of the most difficult times for the games industry, and the global economy.
