Ubisoft: We Will Continue with Live Service Games
Ubisoft announced today that they are halting the development of XDefiant and beginning the process of shutting down the game. However, the most noteworthy part of this announcement was Ubisoft’s statement that they will continue to focus on live service games despite the failure.
XDefiant’s Closure and Studio Shutdowns
Despite XDefiant’s initially promising start, it was stated that the game failed to reach a sufficient player base in the long term. Ubisoft explained that the game was not sustainable and therefore not worth significant investment. Following this decision, Ubisoft’s San Francisco and Osaka studios will close, while operations in Sydney will be significantly downsized. Approximately 277 employees will lose their jobs.
The Irony of “Live Services Are Successful!”
Following such negative news, Ubisoft’s statement that “Live service games will remain the cornerstone of our strategy” drew attention. The company pointed to games like Rainbow Six Siege, For Honor, and The Crew as “success stories.” However, it presents an ironic picture to talk about the success of this strategy while closing failed live service games and shutting down studios.
Marie-Sophie de Waubert stated in her announcement:
“We will apply what we’ve learned from XDefiant to our future live service games. We are committed to taking steps toward innovation, growth, and creativity.”
Persistence with Live Service Strategy
In recent years, Ubisoft continues to embrace the live service model despite high costs and challenging development processes. However, the failure of projects like XDefiant raises questions about how sustainable this strategy is. The challenges of retaining the player base show that Ubisoft risks losing more projects in this highly competitive market.
Ubisoft’s insistence on live service games becomes even more controversial with failed projects and studio closures. Bright days don’t seem to be ahead for Ubisoft.