The free-to-play first-person shooter (FPS) game from Ubisoft, "XDefiant," is now shutting down after seven months since it was released by the company, with these past months seeing uncertainty on its future. However, the game has not yet "shut down" per se, as the company will keep the PvP shooter game's servers up until the first half of next year before fully pulling the plug.
It was previously touted to be the "Call of Duty" killer as it looks to offer significant advancements in first-person shooter games, as well as introduce a new experience for gamers with its latest in-game innovations.
Ubisoft to Shut Down 'XDefiant' After 7 Months
Ubisoft made multiple announcements regarding the massive farewell of its game, "XDefiant," after only running for almost seven months since it was released earlier during May's Spring season. The company shared its heartfelt statements to its community and the world announcing the game's shutdown after its short run, claiming that it is "discontinuing" its development.
According to Ubisoft, its "encouraging start" was not enough to keep the game running as part of their plans, particularly as the company saw its poor performance in getting players to join the game and remain playing it over the past months.
Ubisoft also shared that almost half of the team under "XDefiant" will still transition to other roles over at Ubisoft, while the other half from their San Francisco, CA; Osaka, Japan; and Sydney, Australia offices facing the ax.
'XDefiant' Servers to Run Until June 2025
What this means for players and those looking to join the game is that firstly, "XDefiant" will no longer allow gamers to download the game, as well as closing its new player registrations and locking behind its in-game purchases starting Tuesday, December 3. However, Ubisoft promised that players will still get to see what the team worked on in Season 3 as it will soon drop in the game, available for its current version and existing players.
Moreover, players still get a chance to play the game until June 3, 2023, almost seven months later, before the company officially shuts down "XDefiant's" servers. Additionally, players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack, DLCs, and VCs will get refunds automatically, but may take up to 8 weeks.
Is Ubisoft's 'XDefiant' a Flop?
When talking about the most successful FPS game franchises in history, only one game comes to mind and it is Activision Blizzard's "Call of Duty" which made a significant name for itself over the years. However, there have been several games and franchises which challenged its dominance in the gaming world thanks to Ubisoft, introducing its highly-regarded "Tom Clancy" franchise.
That being said, Ubisoft did not stop at the renowned novel franchise adaptation to deliver iconic shooter games in the market as it was known to market a "Call of Duty" killer with its "XDefiant" title. Moreover, the company used its previous action and FPS titles to serve as source materials for the game including "Tom Clancy" games, "Far Cry," and "Watch Dogs," with former "COD" developers also working on the game.
Things were initially looking good for Ubisoft as it saw a successful beta testing program where it boasted of 1 million players joining the playtest and were offered the firsthand experience of the FPS. However, its actual release did not see much success in its early days, and the company put an ultimatum to discontinue it after Season 3 should it still face its problems, a rumor that has now turned true for the already sunsetting game.
