Ubisoft has bad news for everyone who was looking forward to "The Division Heartland". The game has been completely cancelled and will not be released.
In a brief update today, Ubisoft writes that they are transferring development resources to the new IP. xdefiant and Rainbow Six This will be done against the backdrop of internal restructuring and within Ubisoft's global teams.
Wording explained Ubisoft:
“As part of Ubisoft’s efforts to streamline its operations and adapt to evolving market trends, there have been further restructurings within the Global Publishing teams, both in the Asia-Pacific region, which is now organized into three engagement hubs, and at the central level. In addition, in line with the increased selectivity of its investments, Ubisoft has decided to discontinue development of The Division Heartland and reallocate resources to larger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six.”
Open World Adventure and Games-as-a-Service in focus
Ubisoft further explains that they will be focusing more on open-world adventures and games-as-a-service. "Assassin's Creed Shadows" was just announced, and "Star Wars Outlaws" and "XDefiant" will also be released this year.
“Based on detailed market analysis and a pragmatic, more selective organic investment strategy, we have decided to leverage our strengths and sharpen our strategic focus on two verticals: open-world adventures and native Games as a Service (GaaS) experiences. This focus not only offers profitable growth and repeat business opportunities, but also allows us to utilize and better leverage Ubisoft’s established brands, as well as make continuous, targeted investments in proprietary technologies to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.”
"The Division Heartland" was in development for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. More details coming soon.
Am I satisfied with it? I hope it clears the way or increases the hope that a Division 3 will be released sooner.
It's a shame, the videos had a bit of a Factions vibe.
Division 2 has a bit of a Legend vibe.
If you were to introduce zombies into that setting, it would be a bestseller.