Ubisoft has decided to expand The Division universe slightly differently than expected. Apparently, the company is aiming to release a free-to-play Ubisoft original that will grasp a new wave of fans and expand the game’s universe. The Division: Heartland will be a free-to-play standalone game for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game is estimated to arrive between 2021 and 2022, which is not too far at all.
After this announcement, we expect to see Massive Entertainment fully dedicating to the new Star Wars game, leaving Red Storm in charge of future “The Division” projects.
The Division has been an incredible title for Ubisoft, breaking multiple records and reaching new milestones throughout its existence. However, this is not where the second iteration of The Division ends, translating its power into a new game that will be free for everyone. Ubisoft will still mend The Division 2, but Red Storm will be simultaneously working on a new The Division game called Heartland.
According to the official announcement:
When we launched Tom Clancy’s The Division in 2016, the team at Ubisoft Massive and all of our studios around the world had high ambitions for what was then the first completely original IP under the Tom Clancy’s umbrella since 2009 – not to mention it was also an ambitious game, unlike anything Ubisoft had produced before. Thanks to you, our fans, the reception to The Division exceeded our expectations, breaking multiple Ubisoft records.
While work continues on The Division 2, other Ubisoft teams have been exploring additional ways to introduce The Division to even more players. Today, we’re pleased to share that Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland, a free-to-play game set in The Division universe, is in development at our Red Storm studio. Having worked on Tom Clancy games since 1997, its extensive experience across numerous genres and games, most recently The Division and The Division 2, makes Red Storm a perfect fit for this project. Heartland is a standalone game that doesn’t require previous experience with the series but will provide an all-new perspective on the universe in a new setting. The game will be made available in 2021-22 on PC, consoles, and cloud.
Furthermore, the company announced that technical tests for The Division: Heartland would be available throughout the development phase, and everyone can sign up for possible participation.
