Summary
Mark Rubin, the executive producerofXDefiant, has criticized Activision for its money-driven approach toCall of Duty. In a lengthy response to anXDefiantfan on Twitter, Rubin, who was once an executive producer of theCall of Dutyseries, blasted the publisher for focusing solely on making “the most money possible” out of its player base and relying heavily on FOMO marketing.
After ten years at Infinity Ward, working on iconic titles such asCall of Duty 4: Modern WarfareandCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Rubin would go on to join Ubisoft in 2019 as the executive game director and producer forXDefiant. The first-person shooter was released as a free-to-play game and launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in May 2024. AlthoughXDefiantreached a massive player milestoneby June 2024, bringing in eleven million players and becoming Ubisoft’s fastest game to reach one million unique players, the shooter is set to be permanently shut down on July 14, 2025.
XDefiant Producer Blasts Activision For Money-Oriented Approach
WithXDefiant’s shutdown date looming, executive producer Mark Rubin has taken to Twitter to thank a fan who praised the shooter for putting fans first. In response, Rubin criticizedCall of Duty,one ofXDefiant’s biggest competitors, for its focus on “how to make the most money possible out of the player base.” Rubin went on to explain how titles such asCall of Dutyrely heavily on FOMO (fear of missing out) marketing and EOMM (engagement-optimized matchmaking) matches, but notes that it “used to be just more about the quality of the game that would drive players to play.” The producer then states that a game should have a higher player count because it’s good, not because it has a huge marketing budget.
Rubin ends his response by telling studios to be “more like Larian, less like Activision.” Larian Studios is the developer and publisher ofBaldur’s Gate 3, an award-winning RPG that took the gaming community by storm in 2023. While studios such as Activision continue to cause controversy with their forced microtransactions, Larian Studios recently discussed thelack ofBaldur’s Gate 3DLC, noting that it would rather prioritize developer passion over potential profits, which explains why Rubin is urging other studios to be more like Larian.
WhileXDefiant’s days are numbered, there is still time for fans to jump in and check out the game’s latest content before it shuts down in June.XDefiant’s final major updatelaunched back in December, and it added a tremendous amount of content for players to check out with Season 3, includingthree new factions, a plethora of new modes and maps, and much more.
