With all the talks about “The Division” lately, Ubisoft have a very important release on their hands, one that can bring a lot of positive attention to the studio. And they can definitely benefit from that right now, as their reputation has taken a few hits due to some miscalculated releases. Currently, gamers are very eager to learn details about the upcoming game, especially related to the size of its playable area and similar points.
There was a lot of speculation over where exactly we will get to roam around in the game, with various trailers and preview materials giving the impression that its world will actually span across multiple major areas. On the other hand, there was an obvious attention to detail in the levels that we saw which implied that there will have to be some balance between macro and micro details, and nobody was really sure where that balance would be.
And now, we’ve been given some official information about the situation, revealing that the game will be focused on Downtown Manhattan for the beginning. Or, in other words, this will be the limit of its world. According to the information we’ve received so far, the main issue is exactly what most people already assumed it would be – the developers only have a limited set of resources to work with, and if they wanted to deliver a game with the kind of attention to detail that we saw in the original previews, there has to be some sensible limit to how far its world will span and what it will include exactly.
Some gamers have argued that the developers could have used a mixed approach, creating a very detailed main section while also expanding the levels to other locations without paying so much attention to their details. However, according to most, this would have meant compromising one of the core values in the development of this title, and the final result would have been much worse than any negative responses they could get now. Plus, it’s not like the world of the game will even be small by any objective standards, it will actually be quite a lot more expansive than the majority of popular titles on the market at the moment.
With that in mind, fans are still wondering about other details of the game’s development which have been the subject of active discussion for a while now. Are we going to see a graphical downgrade, or will the final product match the initial previews? Considering how impressive the game looked in those first trailers, and the speculation that the producers may have been forced to cut some corners in order to meet their deadlines, people are right to have those worries. But we don’t really have any indication of a bat-and-switch being done by Ubisoft yet, and the studio actually seems quite determined to make this release to the best of their abilities. Given the company’s problems with their reputation lately, this is definitely a smart move for them. A solid release like this could work wonders for bringing them under the spotlight in a more positive manner.
“The Division” is reportedly being developed with the idea of copying its environment 1:1 from the real world. Quite the enthusiastic task, especially from the point of view of coming up with balanced gameplay, but if it’s implemented properly it could be one of the more interesting experiences on the market lately, and not just because of its genre either.