“It was, of course, a significant material investment that we had put in the game”
The Division Heartland, which was set to be a free-to-play take on the third-person shooter series, has been canceled.
In its financial report today, Ubisoft said that “in line with the increased selectivity of its investments, Ubisoft has decided to stop development on The Division Heartland and has redeployed resources to bigger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six.” XDefiant is finally due to launch this month, and Rainbow Six Mobile is in development alongside the continued success of Rainbow Six Siege.
Ubisoft also noted in today’s report that it intends to “return to leadership in the open-world” genre alongside increased investment in games as a service. During a Q&A session with investors, CFO Frédérick Duguet was asked how Heartland’s cancellation squares with that strategy – a question he didn’t really directly address.
“As for The Division,” Duguet said, “we have an ambitious roadmap that relies on investing in The Division 2, The Division Resurgence which will come on mobile this year. And we have The Division 3 that is in development.” The Division 3 has not yet been formally unveiled, but it was announced in a shockingly casual way last year.
Duguet was asked later how much Ubisoft had invested in Heartland. “We don’t disclose detailed numbers on the budget,” he said. “It was, of course, a significant material investment that we had put in the game.”
Ubisoft’s big news today was, of course, the formal reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which features dual protagonists – one the first Black samurai in Japanese history, the other a shinobi.
If you’re losing track, here’s a list of all the upcoming Ubisoft games you need to know about.
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