After Ubisoft announced that it was discontinuing XDefiant on December 3, 2024, Insider Gaming reported text of an internal memo from CEO Yves Guillemot. The memo, as reproduced by the outlet, framed the shutdown and related studio changes as difficult decisions intended to focus resources on more profitable projects. Ubisoft’s official notice confirmed the game’s closure and workforce changes, but did not publish the full memo.
What did Guillemot’s reported memo say?
Insider Gaming reported that Guillemot described discontinuing XDefiant, closing Ubisoft’s San Francisco and Osaka studios, and ramping down the Sydney production site as difficult decisions. He said Ubisoft needed to concentrate investment and resources on more profitable projects and acknowledged employee concerns.
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In the memo text reproduced by the outlet, Guillemot wrote: “We wanted to take a firm and clear decision to enable us to concentrate our investments and forces on more profitable projects.” He also said: “I am working tirelessly with my team to identify the best solutions so we can maintain control of our destiny.” These are quotations from Insider Gaming’s account of an internal memo, not a transcript published independently by Ubisoft. Insider Gaming’s report
The reported memo also referred to the Ubisoft XP 2024 employee survey. It cited an over-86% response rate and more than 55,000 comments, and said executive committee members would follow up on employee concerns and production practices. Those figures and plans are likewise reported as part of the memo, rather than in Ubisoft’s public discontinuation notice.
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Why did Ubisoft discontinue XDefiant?
Ubisoft’s December 3, 2024 announcement gave the company’s official rationale: XDefiant had not attracted and retained enough players over the long term to compete at its target level in the free-to-play first-person shooter market or justify further significant investment. Ubisoft said development was ending and that it would apply lessons from the game to future live titles, while stating that Games-as-a-Service remained part of its strategy. That statement does not establish that every future live-service project would go ahead. Ubisoft’s discontinuation announcement
The official community message from executive producer Mark Rubin described XDefiant as an arcade shooter built around removing skill-based matchmaking and using a free-to-play model. Rubin said more than 15 million players had played the game by the shutdown announcement. He also wrote: “If there’s one thing, I hope we can all take away from this experience, it’s the importance of open, honest communication between developers and players.” Rubin’s community message
What happened to the game and its teams?
Ubisoft said on December 3, 2024 that it was stopping new downloads, player registrations, and purchases. The company planned to keep the servers online until June 3, 2025; that was the announced end date, not a promise of service beyond it.
Ubisoft said almost half of the worldwide XDefiant team would move to other Ubisoft roles. It also announced the closure of the San Francisco and Osaka production studios and a ramp-down of the Sydney production site. The company cited 143 departures in San Francisco and 134 likely departures in Osaka and Sydney. Ubisoft’s discontinuation announcement
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHow did Ubisoft’s outlook change from June 2024?
Guillemot’s positive comments about the game came months before the cancellation. In a June 27, 2024 Ubisoft interview, he said XDefiant had attracted 11 million players “in a short time,” that the company was working toward a stronger Season One, and that he hoped the game might become a serious esport. Those remarks reflected the outlook at that point; they do not show that the game later achieved the long-term retention Ubisoft said it needed. Ubisoft’s June 2024 interview with Guillemot
The 11 million figure from June and Rubin’s more-than-15-million figure from December are cumulative player counts reported at different times. Neither is an active-player or retention measure, so they cannot be used as a like-for-like comparison of whether the game sustained an audience.
Ubisoft’s FY2024–25 regulatory document later summarized the cancellation as following a review of performance, profitability, and market conditions. It said the decision aligned with greater selectivity in research and development investment and recorded a January 2025 strategic update alongside plans for cost reductions and a more selective investment approach. Ubisoft’s FY2024–25 regulatory documents
What has Ubisoft said about its future since the memo?
The December 2024 memo should be read as a statement about decisions and employee concerns at that time, not as a current organizational chart or a complete account of Ubisoft’s later strategy.
In its May 20, 2026 FY2025–26 earnings release, Ubisoft described an ongoing company transformation. Guillemot said the focus for FY2026–27 would be completing that transformation; the company also forecast a softer release slate and restructuring costs. The release described planned growth in live games and a stronger content cycle beyond FY2026–27. These were management expectations and plans, not established results. Guillemot called the year “one of decisive action for Ubisoft.” Ubisoft’s May 20, 2026 earnings release
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