'The Division 2' Will Skip Steam to Be an Epic Games Store Exclusive

Epic Games announced that Ubisoft's The Division 2 will be released through the PC platform exclusively in the Epic Games store, a decision which means the game will be skipping Steam.

Announcing the Epic Games store release as it opened up the game's page for pre-orders, Epic Games said three different editions of the game are now available through the retailer. After it's released, The Division 2 will be buyable through either Epic Games' store or Ubisoft's own marketplace.

Ubisoft's own gaming service called Uplay which offers a variety of benefits will work with Epic Games' online services and allow for "more seamless social features and interoperability," Epic Games said. Anybody who pre-ordered the game else where will still have their purchases honored by Ubisoft and Epic Games, the announcement confirmed.

The partnership between Epic Games and Ubisoft marks the latest accomplishment from the Fortnite creator after it launched its own store and offered game creators an attractive incentive to sell their games on the platform. This deal doesn't appear to be ending with The Division 2 though as Epic Games confirmed that the two entities will "partner on additional select titles to be announced during the coming year."

"As long-time fans and partners of Ubisoft, we're thrilled to bring a range of awesome Ubisoft games to the Epic Games store," said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games. "We aim to provide the most publisher-friendly store, providing direct access to customers and an 88% revenue split, enabling game creators to further reinvest in building great games."

Epic Games' store is still quite new, so it doesn't yet have the sheer quantity of games offered through Steam, but the securing of big-name games from even bigger companies like Ubisoft is a step towards drawing gamers to the platform that already looks promising for game creators. The announcement regarding The Division 2 follows another reveal from Epic Games and Skybound Games where it was confirmed that the remainder of The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be released through the Epic Games store, not Steam. This means that the last two episodes called "Broken Toys" and "Take Us Back" – the former having just received its full trailer recently – will be distributed on the PC through Epic Games' marketplace, but those who already purchased the full four-part game on Steam will have their purchases honored.

The Division 2 is scheduled to release on March 15th for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.