'The Division 2's Mature Rating Warns of Hammer Killings and "Drug Kitchens"

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is almost here, but before it can release into the hands of the public, the good folk over at the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB, the people who rate your games if you live in North America) have taken the online open-world third-person shooter for a test-run in order to determine what type of content rating it should have.

So, what does the ESRB think of The Division 2? Well, like the first game, it gave the sequel a "M" for "Mature" rating that broadly warns of not just any ol' violence, but intense violence. Further, it notes of drug references, strong, language, and blood.

It also points out for buyers to beware of user interaction and of in-app purchases, which doesn't mean there's microtransactions per-say, but in this case, there are.

The ESRB also provide the following "rating summary" of the Ubisoft game:

"This is a tactical third-person shooter in which players assume the role of an elite government agent battling hostile factions in a fictionalized Washington D.C. Players use machine guns, sniper rifles, and explosives to kill waves of enemy soldiers/thugs in frenetic combat. Firefights are highlighted by realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and blood-splatter effects. Cutscenes depict instances of intense violence: characters shot in the head at close range; a restrained character struck repeatedly with a hammer (mostly off screen). A fictional drug called Spice is prevalent in the game, as well as other drug references: bags of Spice, drug labs, drug-making paraphernalia depicted; the words 'Drug Kitchen' written on some walls. The words 'f**k,' 'sh*t,' and 'a*shole' appear in the dialogue."

Of course, if you played the first game, which released back in 2016, then all of this will sound pretty familiar. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 isn't exactly the most kid-friendly game, but it's not as bad as some games with mature ratings.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and is slated to release worldwide on March 15. At the moment of publishing this, there's been no word of a Nintendo Switch port, which at this point, seems pretty unlikely.