Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is a live-service third-person looter shooter, as anyone who has played it would know. A sequel to 2016's The Division, the second game has iterated on everything that made the original an extremely addictive experience while getting rid of some of the problems that plagued it. That's not to say that it's perfect, but it has delivered a very satisfying experience to many.
Almost 3 years in, The Division 2 continues to receive regular updates, with the most recent being announcements regarding the inclusion of Resident Evil outfits in the game. While many fans are clamoring for the next installment at this point, some would agree that going the route of Destiny 2 makes so much more sense here.
Do Fans Really Need The Division 3?
While no announcements have been made, many fans are speculating about the next iteration of The Division series. As much as it would be great to see that happen, it's better that Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment take some cues from other contemporary live-service games like Destiny 2 to decide the future of The Division 2 and the series.
Bungie's sci-fi FPS Destiny 2 has gone the route of expanding the game's universe and lore by adding more content in the form of paid expansions, a choice which also led Bungie to confirm that no Destiny 3 was in the works. Instead, there's a long line of expansions outlined into 2022. While its community highlights how there's still a lot to learn, many fans like Bungie's approach as the added content brings a lot more to the lore, while simultaneously moving the overall narrative forward. It does all of this, without a new game to start all of this over again.
Recently, Beyond Light has brought a whole host of changes to the Destiny experience, changing up some things while adding some more. If Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment decide on something similar, many fans would be happy as they wouldn't have to shell out more cash for another title, instead just have to invest a fraction of it. The overarching story can also continue to get well-realized and the narrative can be moved forward without having to skimp on gameplay, as additions and tweaks can continue to get added along the way.
Ubisoft's Current Portfolio Shows Something Similar
While the publisher has mostly been reliant on pumping out newer and bigger games every year, the future of Ubisoft seems to be diverging from this AAA approach. In a recent Ubisoft earnings call, the publisher has plans to increase its revenue made by free-to-play games and its massive back catalog.
This could mean that the developer/publisher is more focused on making games that would promise them continued revenue over the years, which is precisely what live-service games like The Division 2 and Destiny 2 offer. The call has also mentioned the availability of some of its future releases in the form of a free-to-play model. While much hasn't been mentioned about The Division franchise except that the game will receive more content down the line, this approach could very well push the publisher to go the Destiny 2 route by providing the base game for free and charging money for expansions.
This also seems to be a viable option to keep the game the franchise going, as Massive Entertainment is also currently working on the recently announced Star Wars open-world game. While game development isn't cut and dry, it may be best for Massive to avoid having its hands in too many cookie jars given how demanding full development of a Division 3 would be.
The Division 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X enhancements are enabled through backward compatibility.