Ubisoft’s free-to-playXDefianthas 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 byDot Esports, Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot admitted thatXDefianthas fallen “behind expectations.“This is in spite of the fact that Ubisoft already had “lower expectations” for the game. Just a few weeks ago, the officialXDefiantX 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.
Why XDefiant’s Failure Is Part Of A Bigger Problem
Copying Trends Is No Longer A Viable Marketing Strategy
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 likeAssassin’s Creedare still high even as the game amasses 13 main-series games and 17 spin-offs, withanotherACtitle apparently in the works.
On the other hand, the game industry eventually reaches a saturation point. Games likeSony’s Doomed shooterConcordshow that fans may have had enough ofCall of DutyandOverwatchclones. In a Reddit comment responding to the news, userMuptonBossmannotes that Ubisoft’s recent focus on trend-chasing has led to them losing their identity.
Unfortunately,free shooters likeXDefiantrely on Season passes,so if there aren’t enough people playing the game, then there are also not enough people paying for it.XDefiantrecently launched its second season, but due to a lack of player engagement, it may never see a third.
We Would Rather Have Played The Division Heartland Than XDefiant
XDefiant Was Doomed From The Start
Earlier this year, it was revealed thatXDefiantonly exists becauseThe Division Heartlanddoesn’t.Ubisoft canceled the extraction shooterHeartlandafter four years in development to focus its efforts on releasingXDefiant.
The decision was doomed from the start since it meant forgoing an actual unique IP in favor of chasing a trend.The Division Heartlandwould have given something new to the world of shooters,rather than being another cookie-cutter free-to-play FPS. I, for one, would have loved to see it realized as a game, so it’s disappointing to see the game that got released in its stead failing.
The next few months will be absolutely critical forXDefiant.It’s very possible that its upcoming new Seasons really could turn the tide for both the game itself, and Ubisoft’s expectations. However, in such an over-saturated genre, the developer has a real challenge ahead of it. Only time will tell if the game will get to realize its plans or if it will follow inConcord’sfootsteps and shut down before then.
