It’s a sad day for The Division fans, as Ubisoft has given the previously announced spin-off the axe. Revealed as part of the company’s earnings call this morning, it has decided to move on from the franchise onto “bigger opportunities.”
The game had been delayed since its announcement in 2021. The first and second one received 80 and 82 respectively on Metacritic, and fans eagerly awaited a new addition to the series.
Ubisoft Gives the Division Spin-off the Axe
Tom Clancy’s The Division and its sequel were handled by Massive Entertainment, a studio under Ubisoft. Heartland was being handled partly by another Ubisoft studio, Red Storm Entertainment.
IGN shared a statement from the company regarding the game’s cancellation:
After careful consideration, we have made the tough call to halt development on Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland, effective immediately. Our priority now is to support the talented team members at our Red Storm Entertainment studio, who will be transitioning to new projects within our company, including XDefiant and Rainbow Six.
While the news is sad for many, it doesn’t come as a complete surprise. When a leak of Ubisoft’s 2024 and beyond roadmap was shared around, there was no mention of the game anywhere.
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This led some people to believe that it was either stuck in development hell, or it had already been canceled while the information was not yet shared with the public.
To add to the matter, Ubisoft has been on a mini-cancellation spree lately. Some of the fallen titles include Immortals Fenyx Rising 2 from last year and three unannounced games. Even before that, it canceled another four games.
Some suspected that among the canceled games could’ve been a new Watch Dogs entry. Others suspected a Ghost Recon title. There were a lot of guesses, but these games are unfortunately still not known to the public.
Ubisoft is ‘Back on Track’ and Working on Other Projects
IGN had also relayed some words that CEO Yves Guillemot had shared. She told investors that the company was “back on track” for a “profitable growth trajectory.”
The site also shared that the company plans to go all-in on open-world adventure games while focusing on its games-as-a-service offerings.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Codename: Red) is one of the company’s upcoming open-world games that follows the story of Yasuke and Naoe, duo protagonists, that marks a first for the series.
Hexe is another upcoming Assassin’s Creed title that had some details leaked previously. It will take place in a completely different period; specifically, Central Europe during the harrowing witch trials. And, yes, the protagonist will be a witch.
News of Heartland, a free-to-play spin-off of The Division series, and its cancellation is indeed a sad moment for fans of the games. However, the third installment of the series is still in the works and is being handled by Massive Entertainment.
What are your thoughts on Ubisoft’s most recent cancellation? Let us know in the comments below!
