The Fall of XDefiant: What Went Wrong and Why It Deserves Better

XDefiant has officially gone dark. Ubisoft pulled the plug on the game’s servers this week, marking the end of a turbulent journey for the multiplayer shooter that once showed real promise. In the wake of its shutdown, executive producer Mark Rubin, known for his work on the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, announced not just his departure from Ubisoft-but from the entire game industry.

Rubin shared his farewell on X, thanking players and developers who believed in XDefiant. His words were heartfelt, even as they carried a tinge of frustration. “It’s a sad day for fans of XDefiant and all the devs who worked so hard on it,” Rubin wrote. “Every voice mattered.”

It’s not hard to see why the loss stings. XDefiant had a strong start, reaching impressive player numbers quickly and offering arcade-style gunplay that attracted both casual and competitive FPS fans. For a brief moment, it looked like Ubisoft had found its answer to Call of Duty and Apex Legends. Internally, plans were brewing for a full year of content updates. But momentum fizzled-and fast.

So, what happened?

According to Rubin, XDefiant was hampered from the start. Marketing was nearly nonexistent post-launch, making it hard to retain new players. Worse, the game was built on an in-house engine that simply wasn’t suited for a modern, network-heavy shooter. “Crippling tech debt” and a lack of engineering support meant issues couldn’t be fixed fast enough. Rubin candidly stated that proprietary engines are no longer a wise investment in a world where Unreal Engine dominates.

Some fans blame the crowded FPS market. Others think it just didn’t do enough to stand out. Rubin hints that missing features and network limitations prevented XDefiant from truly becoming what it was meant to be. Still, he insists the people behind the game had passion and the right intentions. Ubisoft San Francisco, the studio behind it, has since been shuttered.

In the end, Rubin chose to bow out of the industry altogether, prioritizing time with family and leaving game development behind. Yet he leaves the door open for others to carry forward what he started-games made with respect for the players.

XDefiant wasn’t perfect. But maybe it never had the chance to be.