Ubisoft Admits XDefiant Was 'Behind Expectations' & A Major Flop For The Company

Ubisoft's free-to-play has only been out for four months and it's already facing trouble. The game was off to a strong start when it launched in May 2024, hitting a reported 1 million players within 2.5 hours of its release. Since then, the game has been unable to retain its player base.

During an investor call, as reported by, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot admitted that has fallen "" This is in spite of the fact that Ubisoft already had "" for the game. Just a few weeks ago, the official X account shared a roadmap through to Season 4, including plans for new weapons, maps, and modes, although there are no release dates planned yet. This suggests Ubisoft isn't giving up quite yet, though players still could.

AAA game developers often hold onto things that already work rather than take a risk with something new. Sometimes, this works extremely well and results in a steady flow of revenue for companiesas long as they keep making what fans love. For instance, the sales numbers for games like are still high even as the game amasses 13 main-series games and 17 spin-offs, with another title apparently in the works.

On the other hand, the game industry eventually reaches a saturation point. Games like Sony's Doomed shooter show that fans may have had enough of and clones. In a Reddit comment responding to the news, user MuptonBossman notes that Ubisoft's recent focus on trend-chasing has led to them losing their identity.

Unfortunately,free shooters like rely on Season passes, so if there aren't enough people playing the game, then there are also not enough people paying for it. recently launched its second season, but due to a lack of player engagement, it may never see a third.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that only exists because doesn't. Ubisoft canceled the extraction shooter after four years in development to focus its efforts on releasing

The decision was doomed from the start since it meant forgoing an actual unique IP in favor of chasing a trend. would have