As part of Saturday’s Ubisoft Forward presentation, Ubisoft shared new information regarding its in-development free-to-play shooterThe Division Heartland. It’s been some time sinceThe Division Heartlandwas last showcased due to some substantial delays, with some questioning whether Ubisoft had changed plans forThe Divisionfranchise going forward. Developed by Red Storm Entertainment, it seemsThe Division Heartlandremains on track and could arrive sooner than expected.
The Division Heartlandremains a spin-off from the main franchise ofThe Division. It’s also still planned to be afree-to-playstandalone experience, separate but based in the same world around the same time period as the otherThe Divisiongames. WhereThe DivisionandThe Division 2both take place in reality-based major urban areas, however,The Division Heartlandtakes place in a fictional rural community. The setting will grantThe Division Heartlandthe opportunity to provide a unique multiplayer experience.
RELATED:Multiple Games in The Division Franchise Confirmed for Ubisoft Forward
In the new trailer forThe Division Heartland, dubbed a “Developer Intro” to the game, a much more in-depth look at the game’s setting is shown. It’s named Silver Creek and looks like any give American city. There’s a main street lined with coffee shops and small businesses, a downtown area with a mix of mid-sized business offices, subdivisions of single-family housing, and even what looks like nuclear power plant cooling towers that giveThe Division Heartlanda bit ofThe Simpsonsje ne sais quoi.
Exactly whatThe Division Heartland’s gameplay will be remains a grand mystery, however. It’s described as a survival game, oddly enough, but it does clearly feature traditionalThe Divisionco-opcombat scenarios, crafting, a base of operations, and a familiar story-based mission structure. It could very well be exactly likeThe Division 2, only heavily monetized and build around live service progression systems given its free-to-play nature.
Why Ubisoft has been so withholding ofThe Division Heartlandcontentisn’t clear. With a release date tentatively planned as soon as late 2022, it’s surprising how little of the game has been shown. That’s perhaps worrying, especially sinceThe Division Heartlandis a free-to-play game. Some may worry Ubisoft is hiding the game’s monetization to avoid criticism, though it is unclear if that is the case.
What the short trailer forThe Division Heartlanddoes show is that ifThe Divisionplayersare looking for more content, the new game will deliver it. The trailer offers a very familiarThe Divisionexperience, going off of what little has been shown. That may change as more ofThe Division Heartlandis shown, but for fans of the franchise, it’s a positive direction.
The Division Heartlandreleases in 2022/2023 on PC and consoles.
MORE:Every Division: Heartland Rumor and Leak So Far
