Division Day offers tantalising look into the future of the franchise

Overnight, Ubisoft has shared a Division Day Showcase, highlighting what’s in store for the popular looter shooter franchise, including the roadmap for Year 5 of The Division 2, along with updates on The Division Resurgence and The Division Heartland.

First up, The Division 2 is still rolling on with another update coming in early June in the form of Broken Wings. There seems to be a lot to look forward to, but the most interesting component is a new game mode, called Descent. Descent is said to be a rogue-lite mode, which will be free for all players when Year 5 begins.

We also got another brief update on The Division Resurgence, the mobile version of the series that entering into its test phase later this year. Resurgence is set to bring a fully-fledged Division expeirence, with a full campaign that can be played solo or co-op, much like the mainline games. There will be new weapons, new gadgets and a new storyline that bridges the gap between The Division and The Division 2. I’m certainly curious to see how the gameplay translates to mobile, and we won’t have long to find out; you can sign up for the closed beta here.

Lastly, and perhaps most excitingly, we got to check out the gameplay of The Division Heartland. This free-to-play version of the game coming to consoles and PC is set in Silver Creek, where you play as an agent with the task of protecting the town from enemy factions, rogue agents and of course a deadly contamination. Heartland is aiming for “streamlined survival gameplay” in a PvEvP setting, where you’ll confront AI factions and player squads. The dev team is promoting Heartland as a living game that will be updated regularly.

Players will be able to select an active class, like Survivalist (which highlights look on the map) or a Weapons Expert who can craft and deploy an assault turret. You’ll be rewarded for searching for loot in contaminated areas, but dehydration can slow you down, so you need to keep an eye on that and drink fresh, uncontaminated water to survive.

At nighttime, there will be more unexpected threats, but greater rewards; and every time you exfil back to your home base, you’ll get the gear you’ve collected to help with future days. It sounds like an interesting gameplay loop for the franchise, and I’m eager to see how much of a focus the survival elements have when spliced in with the satisfying loot ‘n’ shoot vibe the series is known for. You can register for the early playtest here.

Overall, the future of The Division overall looks bright. Ubisoft and its various developers seem excited about reinvigorating the franchise for new players, while keeping veterans happy with new content. Are you excited about what’s in store for The Division?