Many players and fans are excited about The Division: Heartland – including MeinMMO author Sven Galitzki. However, he fears that it could be a wrong step for the series and is concerned about the future of The Division 2.
What is Heartland all about? Recently, Ubisoft made a comprehensive blog post about the future of Tom Clancy’s: The Division. And for the fact that some time ago the future of The Division 2 was not even clear, it now seems there is quite a bit planned. This is shown by the announcement of The Division: Heartland.
In addition to new content for The Division 2, a mobile game, a novella, and a Netflix film are also planned. The new free-to-play game The Division: Heartland is expected to be part of this future. The community has received this new project with much interest – they are curious about what it specifically entails. However, there is also considerable skepticism, which currently prevails for me.
This is what we currently know about Heartland: This is not really much – at least at the present time.
- It will be a standalone free-to-play game (not a Division 2 expansion) and comes from Red Storm Entertainment
- It will take place in the Division universe but does not require any prior knowledge of the previous Division games
- and it will be available for PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as cloud services
As for the time frame: 2021 / 2022. Neither the genre nor any other details are currently known. So far, there is only a single image related to it:
You can learn more about it here: What is actually The Division: Heartland? Everything we know so far
He is a huge Destiny fan and has spent a lot of time in the franchise. However, countless hours in both parts of The Division, various “Call of Duty” offshoots, and the Battlefield series are also part of his portfolio.
Why Heartland could be a wrong step for The Division 2
What could Heartland be as a game? There are 2 major and quite plausible theories. And I personally see both as problematic, if not even “life-threatening” for the future of the current main game The Division 2.
For the most part, the 2 most common theories rely on the name as well as the currently only image of the game. Parts of the western United States and the Midwest are referred to as American Heartland – a rather rural area with smaller towns, some forests, and many farms. This corresponds with the currently only image, which depicts such a scenery. The new Division spin-off, whatever it ultimately turns out to be, is likely to break with the previous series tradition and probably take place for the first time outside of a major American city.
Many, including myself, believe that in such an open, vast, and rather rural scenario, especially 2 game concepts would fit well – partly because they are currently trending and successful in numerous other games, but are lacking in the current spin-off The Division 2:
- Battle Royale
- or a type of Survival
Sure, it is currently pure speculation, and Heartland could theoretically end up being an RPG or a collectible card game. However, with Red Storm Entertainment as the developer, it is more likely that it will stay in the shooter realm. After all, they are primarily known for numerous shooters from franchises such as The Division, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, or Ghost Recon. Thus, it is also unlikely that they will stray too far from loot, skills, and shooter mechanics – after all, that is what has defined the series so far. Battle Royale or Survival indeed appear to be the most plausible in this context.
Why I see Heartland as a threat to The Division 2: Well, The Division 2 has had a tough time with players for some time now – especially among long-term agents and veterans. It feels like more and more players are dropping out. Overall, the setting and core mechanics are well received, the game can convince until the endgame and is fun up to that point. However, at the latest then, deep-rooted problems with long-term motivation and the associated systems become clear.
The Division 2 has offered virtually no content in principle that can captivate and convince in the long run. The seasonal model, raids, and even the major expansion “Warlords of New York” could not change that. Even more than 2 years after release, the main criticisms, aside from loot, balance, or bugs, are still largely:
- lack of enjoyable modes that keep players engaged in the long term – they should just look at The Division 1
- lack of fresh wind/fresh ideas, little innovation
- too little substantial content over time
And players are not asking for anything impossible here: In the first part, Survival was very well received (English: Survival – a mix of Battle Royale and indeed Survival). However, the developers are still reluctant to bring the mode to The Division 2. Many see, therefore, in Heartland finally a potential, plausible explanation. Also, Underground (English: Underground – a kind of endless mode) had many fans in part 1. Although The Division 2 also boasts The Summit as an endless mode now, it offers many too little variety and ultimately cannot compete with Underground.
If one of the two aforementioned theories turns out to be true and Heartland is not a strategy or collectible card game, it could be counterproductive and even problematic for the future of the current flagship The Division 2. This would bring exactly what players are longing for in The Division 2 – but in a new, standalone game. Whether this would actually be beneficial for long-time fans? The risk of losing one or the other to the new game is significant.
And yes, new content is also coming for The Division 2, like a completely new game mode that has never existed in the franchise before. However, if they finally offer players in Heartland what they have been asking for years – and do it for free – then it could get tight for the still paid The Division 2. Despite the new content and especially if those should still be paid (Summit is tied to the paid Warlords expansion) – particularly concerning potential new players.
In my eyes, as a big fan and long-time player, it would have made much more sense to consolidate resources on the current flagship (if that can still be said about The Division 2) and integrate any new modes into the main game – especially if it’s about a Battle Royale or a Survival mode. It would only be logical and also what players have been demanding almost consistently.
Otherwise, The Division, in my opinion, seriously risks coming off second best to a free-to-play spin-off from its own house and completely disappearing into obscurity, should Heartland be implemented somewhat enjoyably and learn from the mistakes of the previous two Division games. In that case, Heartland could ultimately not be an expansion of the Division universe into another game, but the coffin nail for the main game of the franchise.
What do you think about all this? That was my current perspective. But since this is not universally valid, I would be very interested to know: How do you see the whole thing with Heartland? Fresh wind for the franchise, which could also benefit The Division 2? A stab in the back of part 2? Or a daring experiment, where the outcome still seems completely open? Feel free to share your opinion with us and other readers of MeinMMO in the comments.
If you are into the gameplay of The Division, you might also be interested in The Day Before: 7 things that the new survival MMO The Day Before does differently than The Division
