While the game saw a strong launch following its release in May, XDefiant has lost a considerable amount of steam. Since its street date, the free-to-play multiplayer first person shooter has seen a steady drop-off in player activity. Following 8 million players engaging in its first week, the game is struggling to maintain 20,000 active players, according to a report from Insider Gaming.

Among Xbox players, XDefiant climbed to within the top 5, peaking as high as 4, before disappearing out of the top 40, according to Game Insights (as reported by TrueAchievements.com) During a trading call update, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot voiced the hurdles XDefiant is facing, as brass is hoping the upcoming Season 3 is capable of luring players back. Its reflection is emblematic on toilsome times Ubisoft is facing.

"[XDefiant] was off to an encouraging start as we continue to grow the audience at a steady pace and plan a quarterly roadmap of content that will allow us to firmly establish the game over time,” Guillemot stated.

In a saturated market, a studio really has to be stellar and "WOW" its players in order to cement itself as a viable game and a revenue stream. The reception to XDefiant, despite its promising start, seems to be mixed, and in a genre that's flooding with options. Perhaps a port to Steam will help gain players back, but it's looking dour for the team shooter for the time being. And considering Ubisoft's floundering reputation and mediocre stream of software (Star Wars Outlaws' middling sales numbers and Assassin's Creed Shadows launch in Japan delayed until 2025), the light at the end of the tunnel may be further away than anticipated.

SOURCES: Insider Gaming, TrueAchievements.com