14 DAY TRIAL // The Division is one of the most interesting projects set to launch during the first few months of 2016, but there are still plenty of questions about its core structure and the way gamers will engage with the third-person shooter and action combination in the long term.
In a new interview with IGN Julian Gerighty, an associate creative director, explains that his team is implementing a clear end for the narrative that it plans to tell, which is centered on an apocalyptic event and its effects on the city of New York and its inhabitants.
At the same time, the non-linear elements integrated into The Division mean that players can continue to play for a long time after that, taking advantage of the increased difficulty level of the encounters and trying to improve their equipment and the performance of their group in the Dark Zone mode.
Ubisoft is trying to make sure that players who spend plenty of time with the title and quickly reach the end of the story are rewarded and get a chance to then see new sides of the title that they might have missed when they first ran through activities and missions.
The Division has also evolved since it was first shown to gamers, with Gerighty saying that plenty of ideas from the fan community have been explored by his team.
He adds, "One specific thing that comes to mind is the Base of Operations. It used to be an optional side activity in the open world, but we discovered that it acted as a natural home for players. We decided to boost its importance for the player, and now you can find it in the center the game."
The Dark Zone will challenge players to defeat other players
The single player and cooperative elements of The Division are built around a virus outbreak that takes down the government structure of the United States of America very quickly, with a special group of agents activated to deal with the chaos.
Ubisoft promises that, in true Tom Clancy fashion, they have managed to create a thrilling conspiracy structure that gamers will have to explore as they reach the end game, uncovering the organization that caused the catastrophe.
Those who want to compete directly against other humans will be able to do so in the Dark Zone of The Division, where a team has to first work together to reach an objective and to then decide whether to turn on each other to secure more rewards.
The mode will be attractive because it features the most powerful items in the game, which are permanently bound to the character that manages to get them through the Extraction process.
Ubisoft says that it wants to make the experience both dense and accessible, with replay value even for gamers who are unable to initially win the engagement or secure new equipment.
The Division is set to launch on March 8 on next year on the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.