Despite a noticeable decline in player numbers, XDefiant’s executive producer, Mark Rubin, has put to rest rumours that Ubisoft might shut down the game after its fourth season.

Rubin addressed the speculation on X (formerly Twitter) following claims by a user, Shaun Weber (@just4leaks2), who described himself as a “game developer who knows some people.” Weber had suggested that XDefiant might be closed if Ubisoft failed to boost its player base.

Rubin was quick to dismiss these claims, saying on X,

“To be absolutely clear, there are NO plans to shut down after season 4.”

He also revealed that Ubisoft is actively planning for the game’s second year. However, the team’s current focus is on improving technical aspects, like the netcode, and rolling out more content for Seasons 3 and 4. Rubin admitted that minimal marketing efforts have allowed the team to enhance the game’s experience before ramping up promotions.

“We know our player count is down, but that’s partly because we’ve held off on big marketing spends until we feel the game is ready for a broader audience,” Rubin added. The goal is to attract new players and bring back those who may have dropped off.

This isn’t the first time Ubisoft has addressed concerns about XDefiant’s future. Just last month, Ubisoft San Francisco shot down similar rumours, affirming that the free-to-play shooter was not on its way out, despite a dip in interest and a corresponding drop in Ubisoft’s stock price. They stated:

“No, the game is absolutely not dying.We know there are things we need to improve like Netcode/Hitreg and adding more content to progression, but the game is doing well. We just want it to do better. And we do that by addressing the concerns of our community which has always been the plan. Ubisoft is very much behind us and has allocated more resources to the team in order for us to do that”

XDefiant launched in May for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X | S, with its first season arriving in July and its second in September. Back when it was initially released, I gave XDefiant a 70/100 with a tone of optimism that hoped that it would eventually become the Call of Duty Killer it was prophecised to be. But so far, that hasn’t come to fruition.

On the same day as XDefiant’s Season 2 launch, Ubisoft also announced delays for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and unveiled a recovery plan for Star Wars Outlaws, which had struggled following a lacklustre debut. The publisher has had a tough year, losing over half of its market value, and there have been whispers that Ubisoft’s founders, in collaboration with Tencent (which already holds a 10% stake), may consider taking the company private.