Farewell to XDefiant: Sad to See Ubisoft’s FPS Conclude

I’m diving into this whole XDefiant saga, and whoa, it’s like the little FPS game that could — or maybe almost did? Despite the brainpower behind it, you know, big names like the folks from Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, it just seemed doomed from the get-go. Ubisoft, bless its heart, hadn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park with their games lately. And the live service scene? Total shark tank. Fresh content needed, stat! Then throw in trying to compete with Call of Duty’s massive comeback — Black Ops 6 — and it’s like… yeah, not great odds, right? So, it closing down this week didn’t surprise the lot of us. But, hey, doesn’t mean it was bad. Had some real good times in there, like a throwback to CoD’s old-school fun.

And talk about CoD! There I was, totally vibing with Black Ops 6 now, but before then? Meh. Felt kinda blah during Modern Warfare 2, and Modern Warfare 3 didn’t really save the day either. Enter XDefiant, bringing back that classic feel with its tidy, little three-lane maps, stellar gunplay, and all those snazzy class abilities. Yum, right?

Okay, so the launch was a bit bonkers, with all this weirdness delaying it. But when it finally hit in May, and Modern Warfare 3 was sort of fizzling… bam, there I was, all in despite its quirks and janky hit registration. Felt like everyone was kinda sleeping on it, but man, was I hooked!

Season 1 was a riot! Sure, bugs aplenty, but fun’s fun. Kinda knew my affair with it was a ticking time bomb, what with a new CoD looming and other games like Destiny 2 and Apex Legends all waving their arms around for attention. But, honestly? Could totally see XDefiant sticking around in my lineup.

Then, oh boy, end of 2024 came, and boom, unraveling. Black Ops 6 pumping new life into CoD while XDefiant’s issues lingered. Naturally, folks (me included) drifted away. October hits and rumors spread — two seasons left to make magic happen or join the scrap heap. Turns out, even that was too generous.

Come December, Ubisoft drops the bomb. Sunset time for XDefiant. Poof, gone from stores, but at least those who downloaded it still get six more months for a wild everything-in-one-go-final-season. June 2, today, was its last hurrah. I hopped in, expecting to feel all nostalgic, maybe a little teary-eyed. But mostly? Just felt bummed. Hadn’t even played for ages, but it felt like slipping into a cozy, old jacket. It was so, well, inviting. Just a shame it’s hours from being, well, toast.

I can’t really tell you if everyone’s flocking back for a swan song, ‘cause no player stats here, but finding matches? Easy-peasy. And farewell posts galore all over the web. Sure, some badge it as another ‘Ubisoft flop’ meme, but there was heart in it. Taught CoD and others some cool tricks, like not taking themselves too seriously. And nostalgia — struck just the right chord there.

So, goodbye XDefiant. You weren’t gonna dethrone CoD and its buddies, but you sure gave a good reminder of the good stuff. Plenty of other games out there to dive into, though.

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