Mark Rubin, producer of Ubisoft’s now-defunct live service shooter, is stepping away not just from the project—but from the entire games industry.

Rubin previously worked on the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare titles and their remasters before leaving Infinity Ward to lead the development of XDefiant. With the project now officially shelved, Rubin has also exited Ubisoft, announcing that he’s retiring from the industry altogether. The announcement came via a heartfelt Twitter post:

It’s a sad day for fans of XDefiant and for all of the passionate devs that worked so hard on this game. I want to thank everyone who played it and everyone who promoted it whether you were a big content creator or just a fan. Every voice mattered.
In fact, I would say something…

— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) June 4, 2025

“It’s a sad day for fans of XDefiant and for all the passionate developers who worked so hard on this game…” begins Rubin’s message, which recounts the journey and the many challenges faced during development—chief among them being the lack of post-launch marketing, crippling technical debt from an in-house engine ill-suited for a live shooter, and insufficient resources for meaningful seasonal content. He credits the community for helping the game get off to a strong start despite limited marketing but laments the inability to maintain momentum.

Rubin was especially critical of the internal engine used, arguing that proprietary tech is no longer worth the investment when third-party engines like Unreal consistently outperform them. He noted that netcode issues plagued XDefiant due to architectural limitations, creating a poor experience for players with anything less than perfect connectivity.

He also emphasized that content planned for Seasons 4 and 5 would have made the game feel complete at launch—but those features never made it. Despite limited resources, Rubin praised the dev team for creating some of the best multiplayer maps in the genre, saying their impact on the wider industry was real.

Rubin concluded by confirming that the XDefiant team had been disbanded late last year, with many finding work elsewhere. As for himself, he’s stepping away from game development entirely to focus on family. He expressed hope that others would continue building shooter games that genuinely respect and listen to players.

Source: WCCFTech