The delays plaguing Ubisoft’s upcoming free-to-play shooter XDefiant stem from both technical issues and internal studio politics, according to developer sources. Specifically, a group internally referred to as “The Boys Club” has allegedly made development difficult through poor leadership decisions.
XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin recently confirmed on Twitter that the game’s latest delay comes from “major technical issues” with its netcode. Sources working on XDefiant told Insider Gaming that these netcode problems have existed for years, but repeated suggestions to fix them early were ignored by The Boys Club management.
The Boys Club refers to approximately one dozen male and female directors and managers on XDefiant who sources describe as egotistical, unqualified for their positions, and difficult to work with. Their leadership has allegedly created a toxic environment rife with crunch, high turnover, and mental health issues among the team.
Many developers attribute The Boys Club nickname to a sense of bitterness towards special treatment and lack of accountability given to these problematic leaders. “It’s a closed group of protected individuals who think they are better than everyone else and do as they please without any repercussions,” said one source.
Sources cite multiple instances of The Boys Club overriding experts across all departments, dismissing constructive feedback, and forcing excessive overtime to meet unrealistic deadlines they set. They describe senior members throwing temper tantrums, verbally abusing team members, and intentionally withholding information needed by others to succeed.
“One member has a history of treating people extremely badly with more HR reports than I’ve ever seen,” a source claimed. Meanwhile, junior members of The Boys Club have been rapidly promoted and given leadership roles far exceeding their qualifications, experience, and abilities.
Developers claim The Boys Club operates via nepotism and cronyism, protecting their own interests while ignoring the health and needs of those they manage. “One member has no design experience or people experience and has been given directorial powers because of personal friendships,” a source said. Their rejection of expert guidance in favor of personal preferences has severely hampered XDefiant. The Boys Club culture cultivated by these leaders has taken a serious toll on mental health and attrition at the studio.
“There have been many instances where people have cried, had mental breakdowns, or stopped caring about their wellbeing because of the toxic environment,” a source reported. Some sources indicated The Boys Club drama has spread beyond XDefiant to give Ubisoft at large a negative reputation.
“It’s pretty bad over there, but it’s bad everywhere [at Ubisoft], to be honest,” one developer at another Ubisoft studio claimed. Clearly this group has had far-reaching impacts, both on the company’s games as well as its vulnerable employees.
Sources report that The Boys Club originally formed shortly after the Tom Clancy brand was dropped from XDefiant in early 2022, which gave them increased creative freedom. Around this time, they began overruling recommendations from the rest of the team and demanding excessive overtime, leading to the departure of many talented developers.
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The netcode issues XDefiant now faces could have been avoided if The Boys Club listened to internal feedback, sources claim. Instead, they cut corners and reused assets while adding new content no one asked for. This resulted in technical debt that has added years to development time, risking Ubisoft’s plans for XDefiant to become their next big free-to-play hit.
In addition to these technical issues, sources allege that The Boys Club has excessively chased design trends from Call of Duty without considering what works best for XDefiant. Core features and content updates have been endlessly debated, delayed, or cut because they weren’t “COD enough” for management.
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Despite public statements about development progress, sources report that most planned post-launch content, such as progression systems, playlists, and social features, has been postponed to future seasons. XDefiant remains largely unchanged from its last public playtest as attempts to fix foundational problems continue.
Ubisoft remains committed to releasing XDefiant, but its repeated delays now put seasonal roadmaps at risk too. Developers worry The Boys Club’s mismanagement has turned the project into an endless crunch that many want to leave behind. Unfortunately, similar stories of internal dysfunction are increasingly common across the game industry.
In response to requests for comment, Ubisoft pledged to take all claims about work conditions seriously and enforce proper standards of respect and inclusivity. However, many current and former XDefiant developers believe meaningful change in the company’s culture is long overdue, whether through unionization or other means. For now, XDefiant remains undated as the team races to improve technical issues created or exacerbated by management problems.
Ubisoft will likely share more on a tentative release window soon, but sources make no promises that The Boys Club’s decisions won’t lead to further delays down the road.
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This sounds like many Corp jobs.
Doesn’t sound that bad. Just lazy devs looking to blame someone else for their failure. Do your job and shut up.