In The Division 2, it is known that players consume content faster than it can be developed. Therefore, it is perfectly okay for players to stop playing, according to the Live Content Manager. The important thing is that they are satisfied when they do stop.
This is what Massive says: Yannick Bancherau, the Live Content Manager of The Division 2, says in an interview with Kotaku: “People consume the content faster than we can develop it.”
Therefore, it is important for Massive to pay attention to replayability and to entertain players for as long as possible.
Maybe it would be good for players to take a break
But, he says, maybe it would be good for players to take a break. And maybe it would be good for the developers to see that as something positive:
“One thing we want to keep in mind: It’s okay for players to stop playing. We are not going to tell them they have to stay in The Division forever.
It’s okay if they stop, as long as they are satisfied when they do stop, and then want to return when something big comes to The Division 2.”
This is the problem: In PvE games like The Division 2, players actually want to see something new all the time. The game suggests that there is always something new or that something new is on the way:
- After all, players only know a part of the world, which can actually be expanded in all directions: In The Division 2, it should now go to the surrounding area of Washington and later even to New York.
- The story of The Division 2 is told with an open ending and seems like it could be continued indefinitely: What about Aaron Keener?
- The game creates a world that should feel alive, making it hard to live with breaks
- the gameplay systems in the game all seem like they could still add dozens of weapons, armor, and specializations, and that the power score always goes higher. New exotics have already been announced for The Division 2.
Moreover, the developers actually promise constant new content and say that games will be fed with new content for years or even decades.
This leads to players actually always having a “hunger for more” content, while the developers have to ration their supply.
While the developers can work on replayability, this can only go so far.
Ultimately, there are 52 weeks in a year and a game like Division 2 offers the most dedicated players “fresh” content for perhaps 6 to 10 weeks per year. The other 42 weeks, players farm “old content” and then often complain that the game becomes too boring.
Have other games had this problem? The exact same problem was faced by Destiny before “The Taken King.” Back then, Activision sent a team from Diablo to Bungie. They told them: “People are going to play your game and they will stop. The important thing is that they are satisfied when they stop, because then they come back.”
Bungie also later told their fans that it’s really okay to take a break from Destiny and play something else.
This is what it’s about: The fundamental problem that Bancherau describes is surely accurate. PvE shooters cannot entertain players 52 weeks a year.
However, specific problems also arise in The Division 2 that press on replayability:
- the loot system feels “too random”
- the PvP, a source of long-term motivation, somehow doesn’t work
- additionally, there is a lack of “endgame content” aside from the raids
The problems contribute to the fact that in The Division 2, many currently feel a bit burnt out – including rapper ICE-T.
The updates of the past months have not really brought any new content for a large part of the player base.
