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Ubisoft shutting studios, laying off 277 employees as it pulls plug on live-service shooter XDefiant

A month after denying reports it was poised to pull the plug on its free-to-play live-service shooter XDefiant - which …

A month after denying reports it was poised to pull the plug on its free-to-play live-service shooter XDefiant- which launched back in May - Ubisoft has confirmed it's doing just that, resulting in the closure of three production studios and up to 277 employees losing their jobs. "Despite an encouraging start," de Waubert explained, "the team's passionate work, and a committed fan base, we've not been able to attract and retain enough players in the long run to compete at the level we aim for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market." In an emergency investor call held at the start of 2023, Ubisoft announced considerably lower-than-expected earnings, leading to the cancellation of three unannounced projects and a programme of "targeted restructuring" that resulted in a series of layoffs.

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