Ubisoft’s The Division turns two years old today, and the publisher is celebrating by announcing its sequel, the aptly titled The Division 2. Development will once again be headed by Massive Entertainment in cooperation with Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment and a litany of other Ubisoft studios.
The Division 2 will run on an updated version of the Snowdrop engine in order for the team to “realize our ambitions for the sequel.” The minds at Massive also said they are “taking everything we learned over the past two years and applying it towards the sequel to make sure we get it right.” That sentiment should please fans, considering the initial struggles of the original title before stabilizing its player base and experience. The original title has also been well supported post-launch, with numerous DLC packs and events. Living through the rocky launch of the game and figuring out how to right the ship will hopefully inform the team on how to accumulate the same strength at the sequel’s launch.
The announcement also detailed new additions for the original title, including some that will be carried over to the sequel. A new achievement type called “Shields” will be introduced in June and will unlock special rewards in The Division 2 when it launches. “Shield” earning is currently scheduled to be available through at least September 2018.
A new global event titled “Blackout” will also go live in April with more global events occuring on a monthly basis through September.
The blog post by Massive on Ubisoft’s website expressed thanks to the community for sticking with the game and allowing them to continue the “larger saga” they wished to begin with the original game’s release. “We thank you for the support you’ve given us over the past two years, and we hope that our continued work will earn that support for many years to come,” said Julian Gerighty, Creative Director for Massive.
Few details exist currently, but Ubisoft and Massive promise to reveal more come E3 2018 in June: “We can’t wait to show you what we have in store.”