Over the last decade or so, Ubisoft has gone from having some of the most innovative and beloved franchises around, to having just a handful of overdone properties left.Far Cryhas lost its luster,Ghost Reconhas been run into the ground, and even immensely popular franchises likeAssassin’s Creedaren’t quite as wide-reaching as they once were. But there’s one franchise that Ubisoft hasn’t flooded the market with too much, and that’sThe Division. But, ironically, the upcomingThe Division: Heartlandis actually in danger of suffering from the opposite problem.
Debuting in 2016,The Divisionfranchiseis still a relatively new one for Ubisoft, and it feels like the series hasn’t quite reached its full potential yet.The Division 2has been a pretty sizable hit for the publisher, with it still receiving support four years later. Back in 2021, Ubisoft announced its plans for the future of the franchise, a free-to-play, smaller-scale experience titledThe Division: Heartland. Now, almost two years later,The Division: Heartlandis still nowhere to be seen, and it runs the risk of missing the boat altogether.
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The Division: Heartland Is In Serious Danger of Missing the Boat
The Division: Heartlandwas first announced in May 2021, and its initial reception was fairly positive. For fans ofThe Division’s gameplay loop, a free-to-play spinoff made complete sense. Quite a lot ofThe Division’s loop revolves around grinding for better loot, anda free-to-play modelthat encourages long-term play would fit this well, as long as it didn’t lean too heavily to pay-to-win microtransactions. ButThe Division: Heartlandwould miss its initial release window.
Since its 2021 announcement,The Division: Heartlandhas received several delays, with each one pushing its slated release date back further and further. And with every delay, more and more fans are starting to lose interest in the game, or even worse, completely forgetting about its existence altogether. At the Ubisoft Forward showcase in September of last year,The Division: Heartlandfinally debuted its first gameplay trailer, and reactions were mixed. For those that loveThe Divisionand its previous two entries, this looks like a solid smaller-scale spinoff, but for those who aren’t already fans, the short one-minute trailer did little to bring them on board.
The Division: Heartlandalready has an uphill battle ahead of its release, with its free-to-play model seeming a little controversial for those outside of the core circle of pre-established fans. And by continuing to delayThe Division: Heartland, Ubisoft is only increasing the incline on this uphill struggle. The more the game gets delayed, the less fans have faith in the project, and the more likely they are to lose interest. IfThe Division: Heartlanddoesn’t show up soon, then it could risk losing all of its interested parties, leading to a disappointing reception when it does finally launch.
Ubisoft can’t letThe Division: Heartlandbe a failure, however. With presumably at least two and a half years of development time already,The Division: Heartlandhas likely racke1d up quite the bill for Ubisoft, and with its free-to-play model, it’s going to be hard to make that money back if the game is dead on arrival. Ubisoft, as a brand, also needsThe Division: Heartlandto be a success. Ubisoft has a barebones line-up right now, and the company isrelying on big franchises likeAssassin’s CreedandThe Divisionto remind the gaming public that it produces high-quality experiences. As such,The Division: Heartlandshould come out sooner rather than later.
Tom Clancy’s The Division: Heartlandis currently in development.
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