Update: We got a few more Division 2 details at Microsoft’s E3 conference, as well as a look at gameplay.
The Division 2 release date is March 15, 2019. The game’s presentation at Microsoft’s conference also confirmed an earlier discovery from the show floor (see below) that the game will be set in Washington, DC, and announced a public beta, with the sign-up website promptly crashing.
The game takes place in summer, six months after the viral outbreak that killed millions, and your enemies will be self-serving members from within the collapsing US Government: the phrase “agents of a corrupt state” was used. A short gameplay clip showed some more organic scenery than you’d find in Manhattan, starting in a thick copse of trees. The Division agents then proceeded to a shootout around the wreckage of a plane that looked a bit like Air Force One.
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If you’d like to sign up for the public beta, the website is here. Here’s hoping it doesn’t crash this time.
We’re sure to find out more about The Division 2 during Ubisoft’s press conference, which is set to kick off at 13:00 Pacific (21:00 BST) on Monday. Head over to our E3 hub pageto find out when all the big events are scheduled and keep up to date on the latest news from the show.
DC is an interesting choice of setting for The Division 2. Like Manhattan, its borders are partially defined by rivers – in this case the Potomac and Anacostia – but DC is quite a bit more open than the narrow streets of New York’s densest borough. There’s the wide expanse of the National Mall, with landmarks like the Jefferson and Roosevelt Memorials situated around the Tidal Basin that flows into the Potomac. The US State Department, Federal Reserve, and the Watergate Hotel are nearby, all of which could make for interesting mission locations.
Washington also has an extensive Metro system, which will likely feature heavily in The Division 2, if it’s anything like the first. We’ve put together everything we know about The Division 2 so far.
The setting leaked earlier today: a large banner hung in the L.A. Convention Center shows three agents heading toward some of DC’s most iconic landmarks. Charlie Intel’s Gaming News Twitter account posted a blurry photo, with another Twitter user offering a clearer image in reply.
— Sir Grumpsalot (@sir_grumpsalot_) June 10, 2018
Thick plumes of smoke are rising from the Capitol dome, and there is visible damage to the Washington Monument obelisk, well above street height. It’s also possible to make out what looks like a barricade or checkpoint on the right side of the reflecting pool, and there is a fire burning near the Capitol Building.
The agents are armed with some weapon types not seen in The Division. On the left, one holds a tactical crossbow, while the agent in the center is hefting what appears to be a revolver-style 40mm multiple grenade launcher.