Launched just a few months ago by publisher and developer Ubisoft, the free shooter XDefiant has already announced that it will pull the plug. In a few days it will no longer be possible to download the game or register for it. Worse still, from June, the servers will be cut off. After several weeks of rumors, things are true: the FPS that wanted to become big never found success. The information is of course official and comes to us directly from the developers.
Official press release
Hello fans by XDefiant,
I am unfortunately here today to announce that XDefiant and a farmer.
Starting today (December 3, 2024), new downloads and player registrations will no longer be available. We will, however, release our Season 3 content in the near future (exact date TBD) and the servers will remain active until June 3, 2025.
For those who purchased the Ultimate Founder’s Pack, you will receive a full refund. Players who have made purchases within the last 30 days will also be fully refunded. These refunds should take place automatically within 8 weeks from today and you can find more details on our official website, XDefiant.com.
A few years ago, Ubisoft and the development team [de San Francisco] embarked on a daring adventure to develop a new arcade shooter called XDefiant . From the start, it was an incredible challenge. Not only were we trying to shake up the genre by removing skill-based matchmaking while bringing back a more “old-school” arcade shooter experience, but we also delved into the high-risk, high-risk realm. free-to-play reward. And for this, I would like to congratulate not only the development team but also the management of Ubisoft for taking this risk!
Free-to-play, in particular, has a long way to go. Many free-to-play games take time to find their footing and become profitable. It’s a long road that Ubisoft and the teams working on the game were willing to take until very recently. But unfortunately, the road has become too long to continue in a reasonable manner.
I am of course sorry to have to write this post. Yes, this game has been a personal passion of mine for years and yes, I know that not every challenge leads to victory, but I also want to pay tribute to all the developers who are affected by this closure. Each of them is a real person with a real life separate from ours and they all put a lot of their own passion into creating this game. And I hope they can be proud of what they have accomplished. I know I will always be proud and grateful to have worked with such an amazing team! A team that really hit the big leagues.
And what they have accomplished is truly remarkable. Player reaction at launch by XDefiant was incredible: we broke internal records for the fastest game to surpass five million users and ultimately had over 15 million players playing our game! This is something we can be extremely proud of, especially considering how difficult this genre is. So, thank you to all the developers who put their passion into creating this game!
If there’s one thing I hope we can all take away from this experience, it’s the importance of open and honest communication between developers and players. This “player first” mentality and respectful, non-toxic conversations between developers and players was one of the defining differences that made XDefiant so special. From my very first article on XDefiant that was the vision I wanted to champion, and I hope it leaves a positive imprint on how the gaming industry treats its players and communities.
To our players, THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the incredible community that has grown around XDefiant . Your passion, creativity and dedication have inspired us every step of the way.
With the greatest love and respect,
Mark Rubin, executive producer
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