BREAKING: Ubisoft To Shut Down XDefiant In June 2025, Disables New Downloads
Despite Ubisoft previously denying reports that the company was going to shut down its newest shooter XDefiant, it appears that the game will begin sunsetting immediately.
According to a report from Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming, Ubisoft does plan to shut down XDefiant in June 2025. This news reportedly comes from “an internal all-hands meeting today” where executives mentioned declining player numbers and a distinct lack of player spending as the key reasons for the decision.
Less than 10 minutes after that report was published, XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin confirmed the news on X and stated that as of Dec. 3, new players will be unable to download, register for the game, or purchase items. While Season 3 content will still be released in the “near future,” all XDefiant servers will be shut down on June 3, 2025.
Dear Players,
— XDefiant (@PlayXDefiant) December 3, 2024
Important message: XDEFIANT IS SUNSETTING!
Thank you for your incredible support and dedication to XDEFIANT. We regret to inform you that we are initiating the sunset process starting today, December 3, 2024.
As a result, new downloads, player registrations and… pic.twitter.com/h0kXRowL5T
Rubin’s post also notes that XDefiant’s long term goals as a free-to-play shooter were something “Ubisoft and the teams working on the game were prepared to make until very recently.” This means internal sentiment on the game soured at some point over the last several months and led to this decision despite the game having over 15 million players try the game since its May 21 launch.
In October, Rubin denied claims that XDefiant would be shutting down after Season 4, which is technically true since Season 3 marks the end of the game’s development.
Insider Gaming also reports that “a skeleton crew maintaining the title” will see the game through Season 3’s release while reporter Stephen Totilo confirms Ubisoft will lay off around 177 employees. This will include the closure of both its San Francisco and Osaka studios, while Ubisoft Sydney will also be included. Some employees have already been informed that Dec. 3 is their last day, while the remaining talent will be moved to other projects.
Anyone who bought the Ultimate Founder’s Pack for XDefiant at any point while the game was live and all players who made in-game purchases in the last 30 days from this announcement will receive full refunds.
While XDefiant initially looked like a success for Ubisoft, surpassing more than eight million players within its first week on the market back in May, its numbers rapidly declined throughout the Summer. According to an Insider Gaming source, the game was struggling to hit anywhere close to 20,000 concurrent players across all platforms by mid-August.
“If there’s one thing, I hope we can all take away from this experience, it’s the importance of open, honest communication between developers and players,” Rubin said. “This “player-first” mentality along with respectful, non-toxic conversations between developers and players has been one of the standout differences that made XDefiant so special. From my very first post about XDefiant, this was the vision I wanted to champion, and I hope it leaves a positive mark on how the game industry treats its players and communities.”
On June 3, 2025 all functionality for XDefiant will be shut down, such as all in-game progression, events, rewards, and achievements. No content will be added after the launch of Season 3 and there are no plans to introduce an offline mode to keep parts of the game playable after the servers go down.
If you are eligible for an XDefiant refund, you can visit the official XDefiant website and view the FAQ to see a full list of content available for refund. All eligible refunds should be automatically processed by Jan. 28, 2025.
