The Division has had its share of ups and downs in the six months since its release. Though receiving mostly positive reviews and strong sales at first, most post-launch coverage of the game focused on glitches, cheaters and lack of end-game content.
However, that didn't stop the game's developers from rolling forward, according to schedule. The game's first expansion, Underground, released in June, with its second expansion coming in September.
That's no longer the case, according to Ubisoft. The Division's second expansion, Survival, has been delayed until sometime later this year. Meanwhile, the game's 1.4 update, originally scheduled to release alongside expansion two, will now release independently in October. As for the game's third expansion, Last Stand? That will now be arriving sometime in early 2017.
Why the delays? Ubisoft says it was done in order to improve The Division's core gameplay experience.
"This ongoing effort will begin with Update 1.4 where we will address some of the most pressing issues, such as bugs, loot and time to kill and set the foundations for future improvements such as PvP and Dark Zone," Ubisoft writes in a new blog post. "We will make sure to keep you informed of our progress in our weekly State of the Game, and share the complete overview of the changes to come in Update 1.4 in a Special Report livestream on September 13th."
It sounds like more effort is being put into the 1.4 patch and is the main reason for the delay. The update is set to address issues like enemy difficulty, time to kill, loot drops, weapon balancing, solo player experience, the Dark Zone and various quality of life improvements.
It's hard to say how The Division community at large will react to this news. On one hand, Ubisoft taking the time to make substantial improvements to the title's core gameplay for free is a welcome addition. However, it comes at the cost of receiving the game's new content several months later than promised, something about which the game's most hardcore players will likely be less than thrilled. After all, getting new content several months later is a major blow to The Division's current player base. How many people will still be playing come early 2017, following the release of dozens of new games over the holiday season? Will the delay be worth it in end? Let us know in the comments below.
