Ubisoft postpones The Division until next year

Ubisoft postpones Tom Clancy’s The Division until the first quarter of 2016. The company reports that in a presentation of the financial results for the year. The company made a profit of 170 million euros last year and will release an unannounced ‘AAA title’ early next year.

The Division was first shown at E3 in 2013. At the time, a 2014 release date was promised. Ubisoft delayed the game until 2015 in May last year because more time was needed for development. In an investor presentation Ubisoft held on Tuesday, The Division is set to be released in the fourth quarter of Ubisoft’s financial year 2016. That means the game should be released sometime in the first three months of calendar year 2016. The game will be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

In a post on the game’s website, the development team says they want to make sure the game lives up to expectations. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and can’t wait to show more at E3 next month,” the developers wrote.

The Division is an open world shooter set in a New York City ravaged by a deadly virus outbreak. Gas, water and light have been turned off, and violent gangs have taken over the city. The player is an agent in ‘The Division’, a special unit that was activated by the government when the pandemic broke out. The aim of the game is to restore order in the city somewhat, and also to fight the virus if possible.

In recent years, Ubisoft has engaged more and more game studios to complete the project. The Division is being developed by Massive Entertainment, which designed the Snowdrop engine behind the game. In 2014, Ubisoft Reflections, known for the Driver series, and Ghost Recon developer Red Storm were added. A few days ago, Ubisoft reported that Ubisoft Annecy, which previously developed the multiplayer of several Assassins Creed games, will also be participating in The Division.

The presentation of annual figures also states that Ubisoft has made a profit of 170 million euros this financial year, while it still suffered a loss of 49 million euros in the 2014 financial year. Turnover increased from 1 billion euros to 1.46 billion euros. The presentation also shows that the company wants to present an unannounced ‘AAA title’ in the first quarter of calendar year 2016. Ubisoft may announce more about that game at the upcoming E3.