Former developers say Ubisoft turned new Splinter Cell into xDefiant to compete with Call of Duty

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Ex-devs say Ubisoft has transformed the project Splinter Cell in a live service shooting called xDefiant to try to emulate big competitors. They arrived excited and wanted to tell a good story, but the management preferred the format gaming as a service. The project changed course, became xDefiantwas launched and then closed down. The people responsible left and founded the AdHoc and, with Dispatchhave shown that there is an audience for single-player narrative.

Former employees claim new Splinter Cell became xDefiant while Ubisoft pursued games as a service

Former developers report that a new Splinter Cell was redirected to a gaming as a service at the request of Ubisoftin an attempt to compete with the success of Call of Duty. The change would have led the studio to abandon the original narrative vision.

What former developers report

Three former team members Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart e Pierre Shorette have started work on a new Splinter Cell after joining the Ubisoft in 2017, planning a narrative experience faithful to the series. According to reports, the company's management asked for a shift to a continuous model (games-as-a-service). The team tried to adapt the project, creating several prototypes to reconcile narrative and service mechanics, but the publisher's priority shifted to pursuing the competitive shooter market.

Timeline of events

• 2017 Herman, Lenart and Shorette enter the Ubisoft and start work on a Splinter Cell.

• 2018 The management of Ubisoft calls for a change to a gaming as a service; the team develops prototypes trying to preserve the narrative.

• 2018 The three left the company and founded the studio AdHoc.

• 2024 The transformed project is launched as xDefiantafter lengthy tests.

• 2025 xDefiant is closed about a year after its launch, despite having attracted millions of players.

• 2025 AdHoc spear Dispatch, which sells 1 million of copies in 10 days, demonstrating the demand for single-player games.

Context and consequences

Reports indicate that the change in focus occurred because the Ubisoft sought to replicate successful formulas from major competitive shooters. The resulting game, xDefiantThe game, which underwent prolonged testing, debuted in 2024 and was discontinued about a year later, even with a significant player base.

Meanwhile, the original team proved that there is an audience for narrative games by releasing Dispatch by the studio AdHocwith rapid sales after launch. This difference in results suggests that different product strategies can lead to very different outcomes on the market.

Summary: Former developers claim that a Splinter Cell was converted into a gaming as a service by Ubisoft; the final product, xDefiantwas launched in 2024 and closed in 2025. The same group founded AdHoc and was successful with the narrative game Dispatch.

Conclusion

The case highlights a conflict between creative vision and market strategy. The original idea of a Splinter Cell focused on narrative has been replaced by the search for the Ubisoft by market formulas, resulting in xDefiant, a gaming as a service which ended up being shut down. The developers went another way with Dispatchproving that there is significant demand for well-executed single-player experiences.

The lesson is clear: product strategy matters just as much as creative vision. Following in the footsteps of the big shooters doesn't always guarantee success; sometimes you have to bet on a different proposal to find an audience.

Source and reference

• Original story cited: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/splinter-cell/ubisoft-turned-a-new-splinter-cell-game-into-the-failed-live-service-shooter-xdefiant-in-an-effort-to-chase-live-service-hits-and-call-of-duty-former-devs-say/

• More analysis and stories: https://redeblox.com.br

(Direct reference to the report: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/splinter-cell/ubisoft-turned-a-new-splinter-cell-game-into-the-failed-live-service-shooter-xdefiant-in-an-effort-to-chase-live-service-hits-and-call-of-duty-former-devs-say/)