Ubisoft Apologizes Following 'The Division 2' Government Shutdown Joke Backlash

Though temporarily suspended, the United States government experienced a shutdown that lasted [...]

Though temporarily suspended, the United States government experienced a shutdown that lasted longer than any previous shutdowns in US history. While the House remained divided, thousands of government workers were forced to continue going into work without receiving a paycheck. While many - though not all - are receiving backpay, it was still a very serious time for the country.

With Ubisoft's The Division 2 being very politically-charged just in terms of narrative, not specifically with the current representatives, one marketing rep send out emails urging players to try out the game's upcoming demo with the joking tagline "Come see what a real government shutdown looks like."

Just a few short hours later, a follow up e-mail was sent out with apologies saying "A marketing email promoting Tom Clancy's The Division 2 was sent in error today. This was a grave breakdown in process and we apologize for this error and the offensive subject line of the e-mail."

The apology continued, "We recognize the very real impact of the United States government shutdown on thousands of people and did not intend to make light of the situation."

Twitter had a field day with the "grave breakdown" given their previous stance of not getting politically. Naturally, Twitter did what it is want to do -- it made fun of the entire situation:

Some thought it was thoughtless, others thought it was brillant given the scope of the game itself. What do you think? Did it cross the line, or was it a hilarious marketing strategy? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy.

As for the beta itself, that kicks off on February 6th at 1 AM PT.

Please keep in mind that the author of this story did not express her opinion on the matter in any way. If you reach out to her on social media, please consider that no personal affront has been mentioned.

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