The Division was one of the most divisive games of last year, despite at one point being the most buzzed. Even though it had a strong release, the playerbase quickly dwindled with the game eventually disappearing into relative obscurity. It hasn’t been able to last the distance, even with semi-regular DLC.
Ubisoft have a habit of going one better to the sequels to new IPs, but it look like The Division 2 may be a long way away, especially since the announcement of their deal with James Cameron’s Avatar. Massive Entertainment, the Ubisoft-owned driving force behind The Division, will switch to work on the blockbuster collaboration instead. How will they afford time to work on a sequel? Better yet, how will they balance developing two new games while also maintaining one that’s always online?
If you can read between the lines of Eurogamer’s report from a recent Ubisoft conference call, it suggests that the plan was to create a sequel for an “existing, well-performing live game”. So what it could it be? The report comes from February of this year, before the launch of For Honor. Steep could be a contender, but it hasn’t set the gaming world alight. That leaves Rainbow Six Siege and The Division.
When you look at how Siege continues to perform with the introduction of yearly season passes and new Operators, it doesn’t make sense to start over again. That only leaves The Division, which recently concluded its roadmap with the release of the latest DLC, Last Stand. All things considered, the post-apocalyptic shooter is the only realistic contender, so it looks like a sequel was cancelled to make way for other projects.
While it looks to have been ruled out for now, The Division 2 could still happen as Ubisoft have previously said they’re dedicated to the brand. The big thing that could stand in its way? The game itself. Many were turned off by the game’s bullet sponge enemies and long grinds, so if they’re ever to make it into a series, it would make sense to give themselves some time and go back to the drawing board. A genuine AAA survival game set in a ruined New York City where you have to scavenge for beans would suit me down to the ground.
What do you think?
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