The Division News: Massive, Ubisoft's Developer, Talks RPG Roots, PVP Zones, But Release Date Still Unknown

The Division made quite a splash when Ubisoft showed off the game during E3 last month, and the game, and developer Massive (which had not released a game since 2007), quickly became the talk of the expo. The Division, which is a mixture of MMO and third-person shooter, seeks to appeal to fans of the two very different genres and bring them an experience that satisfies both groups. As Nicklas Cederström told Eurogamer:

"The thing is that we love RPG games... It has everything, you know: RPG is tied to player progression, finding cool new loot to upgrade your character, customising yourself the way you want to be, crafting and also things such as group content, PVP...Sure, we have a shooting mechanic, but it's really the smart use of skills and the ability to level up and find new paths through the trees to optimise your character - that's the really interesting part for us."

While a similar game, Bungie's Destiny, fits this emerging genre as well, Bungie has chosen to emphasize the mutliplayer shooter aspects of the game and not the more RPG-related elements. Massive has chosen a different path, which could work wonders for the game. After all, how many MMO's take place in a realistic modern world?

The Division's MMO roots are also seen in the "Dark Zones" of the game. These areas have the best loot, but in order to get that loot, squads will have to face off against other players in a unique twist on player-versus-player combat. Cederström explains that PVP in The Division helps reinforce some of the themes of the game, and adds tension that is not normally seen in MMOs:

"[Dark Zones] have missions just like every other part of the game. However, you can't trust anyone when you're in there except your group mates. We're going for that kind of tension where you can't trust people that you meet,"

It sounds as though The Division could be a massive hit for Ubisoft and Massive when it is launched for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Look out for more information about the game as those systems get closer to their own launch dates later this year.