‘The Division 2’ Has More Pre-Orders Than Its Predecessor

It came as a surprise to the gaming world when Ubisoft made the announcement that they were going to release The Division 2 on the Epic Games Store. Prior to that, fans expected a Steam release, but that is no longer the case. That said, Ubisoft is now reporting that the upcoming title has more pre-orders than The Division.

During a recent earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot discussed why they chose to go the route of releasing The Division 2 on the Epic Games Store. “There is a growing number of distribution platforms fighting for great content,” Guillemot said. “With this deal, we saw an opportunity to increase player’s exposure to our own store, while at the same time supporting a partner that greatly values our games and provides materially better terms.”

He then went on to discuss how the upcoming game’s pre-orders are looking much better than the previous entry. “Early indications are supportive, as PC pre-orders are higher than for the first Division, and pre-orders on the Ubisoft Store are six times higher,” he said. “We believe this deal is a long-term positive for Ubisoft.”

During the followup Q&A session, Guillemot further discussed how the switch to the Epic Games Store helped Ubisoft. It “really helped to actually do more of our business on our own store, and to have a better revenue per unit sold via the Epic deal,” he said. “So altogether it’s really helped us to go smoothly from Steam.”

It’s unknown exactly how well the move will pay off for Ubisoft and their upcoming game, but it’s looking good so far. The Division 2 is set to arrive on March 15th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store. There will also be an open beta from March 1st until the 4th, which you can read more about right here.

What do you think about the switch to the Epic Games Store? Would you say it was the right call, or should they have gone with Steam? Sound off in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!

Thanks, PC Gamer!