- Ubisoft has canceled over eight games in three years, including The Division Heartland, despite being close to release, to focus on other titles like Rainbow Six Siege and Xdefiant.
- Fans were disappointed with The Division Heartland’s cancellation, especially as Xdefiant has faced significant criticism for its lack of originality and technical issues.
- Despite the cancellation, the future of The Division franchise remains active, with The Division 3 in production and Division Resurgence slated for release in 2024.
Ubisoft has been going through a really tough time. The publisher has canceled over eight games in the last three years, including AAA titles from their famous franchises that were close to completion. Their stock rates have also plummeted, and with each setback, it seems more difficult for them to get back on their feet.
Among the canceled titles was The Division Heartland, a live-service multiplayer co-op that is shaping up to be an exciting release for Ubisoft and another big multiplayer title in their catalog, adding to Rainbow Six Siege.
The title was so close to the competition but unfortunately canceled in favor of supporting other ongoing titles like Rainbow Six Siege and Xdefiant. From early gameplay footage, The Division: Heartland looked really promising. Judging by the current state of Xdefiant, maybe Ubisoft should’ve opted for The Division: Heartland instead.
Why It Matters: The Divisions Heartland was so close to being released, and canceling the game meant many resources were wasted. The Division is a more popular franchise and would’ve performed better than Xdefiant.
The Division Heartland Would’ve Surely Been Better Than Xdefiant
While The Division Heartland looked phenomenal in the gameplay overview by the developers, I adored the PvEvP gameplay with a survival theme and a brand new map that would explore more of the backstory of how the green poison spread and what happened to the unprotected areas, I will admit that the game had a lot of improvement and ground to cover before it should’ve been released.
There isn’t much information on the gameplay besides the official clip, but the people playing the closed beta signed an NDA to prevent them from leaking any information about the game.
However, a few users on Reddit who had allegedly played the closed beta pointed out many weaponry changes and cosmetics that looked almost cartoonish and reminiscent of Fortnite. Still, a lot of feedback was implemented by the time the second beta came out.
The game was still exciting and hyped up, and it made sense that it wouldn’t be perfect since it was a beta session anyway. Now, I’m not implying that The Division Heartland would be an ideal game, but it would be at least a fun title and, with updates, could have a lot more to offer.
Ubisoft, which is short on staff, had to divert resources to Rainbow Six Siege and Xdefiant, and despite so many development times and delays, Xdefiant is a mess at this moment with no originality being detected and a lack of content combined with bugs and balancing issues that have made the game unplayable for me
Ubisoft even said that users complaining about the game should stop playing it, which surprised me because instead of focusing on the issues, they aren’t taking accountability.
Future Of Division Games
The Division is still one of the most beloved and popular Ubisoft games, but fans were wondering if the franchise would be shelved like Watch Dogs. However, despite The Division Heartland being canceled, several Division games are still in the works and ready to be released soon.
Another Division title, Division Resurgence, a mobile title, is still under development and has been pushed multiple times from its original release but is still slated for a release sometime in 2024.
Regarding Division 3, the title was announced in production under Massive Entertainment shortly after The Division Heartland was canceled. I speculate that a lot of The Division Heartland’s resources would’ve been diverted to The Division 3 since it would be the obvious choice to do so.
Who knows, maybe we’ll see Heartland’s game mode in The Division 3, and surely its production will have gotten somewhat of a boost. Still, if I were to guess, The Division 3 is far from release since the studio is currently prepping to release Star Wars: Outlaw, and other major Ubisoft titles are also in development, such as a potential For Honor sequel.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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