When Ubisoft first announced The Division, the publisher showed gameplay footage of agents patrolling the streets of an abandoned Brooklyn. This led many to assume that players would be able to the borough and many others, but it has now been revealed that isn't the case.
Instead, all of The Division (at least at launch) will take place in the confines of midtown Manhattan.
"With the level of detail we have, doing Midtown Manhattan is a huge open-world experience and more than enough to sink your teeth into," The Division creative director Magnus Jansen tells Examiner. "It is a very sizable open-world game."
There is a narrative reason for why players won't be exploring the outlying regions of New York City as well.
"For Tom Clancy's The Division we are going with Midtown Manhattan," Jansen says. "It is because of the 1 to 1 re-creation and the way the pandemic has [happened]. Basically, everything has been hit and there are no more resources because everyone tried to get out. There is no more gasoline in the cars, there is no traffic, you're on foot."
That doesn't mean new areas won't be added to the game. It's likely that major expansions (expansions included in the game's season pass) will add new areas for players to explore. Still, it's a far cry from what many were expecting given the early trailers for the open world shooter.
The Division is scheduled to release on March 8. The game's beta begins on Jan. 28 for Xbox One, with PlayStation 4 players gaining access the following day. You can check out some of the game's early Brooklyn gameplay below.
