Division Heartland Started as Battle Royale Mode for Division 2

Highlights

• The Division Heartland was originally planned as a battle royale mode for The Division 2, but drastically changed direction during development.
• Former Ubisoft developer Ryan Smith reveals new details of Heartland’s origin and eventual evolution into what it became before it was canceled.
• Despite the cancelation of The Division Heartland, Ubisoft is actively working on The Division 3 with Julian Gerighty returning as executive producer.

Following the recent cancelation of Red Storm’s Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland, new details have emerged regarding the development of the game and its origins. May 15 was a bittersweet day for many Ubisoft fans, as the company finally revealed Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next mainline title of the popular franchise, taking players to Feudal Japan during the time of Samurai and Shinobi. However, buried alongside the new game reveal was the confirmation that The Division Heartland had also been canceled.

The news came as a shock to many as there seemed to be plenty of evidence that the game was nearing a launch date. The Division Heartland had made it into player hands through closed technical tests, and it was even rated in Taiwan, leading most to believe an announcement was coming soon. Instead, Ubisoft canceled the often delayed The Division Heartland, choosing to redistribute resources to other projects like xDefiant, the mobile spinoff The Division Resurgence, and Rainbow Six Siege.

Taking to social media, Ryan Smith, the current Lead Level Designer on Overwatch 2, posted about their experiences originally working at Ubisoft and on The Division Heartland. Smith revealed that the game was originally intended to be a “low risk” battle royale mode for The Division 2, something which had been rumored constantly, but never fully confirmed. While the development team had a clear plan for the mode, eventually, Red Storm and Ubisoft took things in a different direction, drastically changing it according to Smith. Even though Smith is no longer at Ubisoft, they admitted that they’re still sad the experience won’t see the light of day.

The Division Heartland Went Through Major Changes During Development

SMith’s admission that The Division Heartland became something else entirely during its development aligns with recent reports from industry insiders like Tom Henderson. Last month, Henderson revealed that, at the time, the game was not only still in development, but Heartland had undergone significant changes since Ubisoft last revealed it. Details were scarce at the time and based on what fans now know, it seems the overhaul wasn’t enough to save it from being cancelled.

Unfortunately, Heartland’s cancelation leaves a massive hole in the franchise in the near term. Even with The Division 2 continuing to receive updates, fans have The Division Resurgence, a free to play mobile shooter expected to launch sometime this year. However, with The Division 2 still being a popular experience, Ubisoft revealed that The Division 3 is in active development with Julian Gerighty returning to serve as executive producer. However, there has been little to no details since its confirmation back in September 2023 and with Massive Entertainment currently approaching the development finish line with Star Wars Outlaws, it could be some time before The Division 3 is revealed in full.