The Division 2: Ubisoft Explains Why It's Making a Sequel Rather Than Updating the First Game

Yesterday, following a leak, publisher Ubisoft revealed The Division 2, a sequel to its popular 2016 online, action-RPG third-person shooter, The Division. Upon reveal, Ubisoft opted to neither disclose a release date or release window, though did reveal that the game will be showcased for the first time at E3 later this year in June.

That said, not long after, the Swedish developer behind the game – Ubisoft Massive – took the opportunity to host a livestream on Twitch, where they fielded multiple questions. At one point the topic of why it was decided to do a sequel, rather than merely update the current game, came up, to which Creative Director Julian Gerighty gave the following response:

"It wasn't an easy decision, but there are so many stories and so many experiences that we want to explore within the world of The Division that we really felt a sequel was the best way to investigate these things."

Following Gerighty, Game Director Mathias Karlson further added:

"Also, I mean, the process of making something is such an important part of learning and improving what to do next, what to do in the future. And these are all the same people, all the same teams and studios that made the first game. It's an incredible opportunity for us to take all that learning, all that experience from what The Division is today and put that into a new game."

Karlson continued by noting that the game's impressive engine, Snowdrop, has improved since the release of the first game, and thus there's opportunity to refine and add to the product in ways that couldn't be done with the first game.

Elsewhere during the livestream, it was revealed that the same team of studios who supported the first game's development – Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Reflection, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Annecy, and Red Storm Entertainment – have all returned to develop the sequel, as well as the newly established Ubisoft Sofia. According to Gerightly, work on the game began all the way back in April 2016, with what he describes as a small crew. It is unclear when the rest of the teams joined development.

The Division 2 will presumably launch for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 at a date likely no early than sometime in 2019. What will ultimately be interesting to see is if the title comes to the Nintendo Switch, that is, if it is even capable of running it.

Source: Wccftech