Ubisoft: The Division Will Not Have Microtransactions

[LoneRanger]

The Division is entering the final stretch before its March launch date, with gamers getting ready for a beta stage that will take place at the end of the month. Thus, the team at Ubisoft is eager to make sure that the title offers more than a simple mix of third-person shooter mechanics and MMO elements.

In a new interview with VG247, Magnus Jansen, a creative director working at the Massive team, explains that the classless design will be used to make sure that each player chooses a role but also has the options to change it as they learn more about the title and about the kind of gameplay moments they love.

The Division makes it easy for players to adapt by switching gear when they find a new tactical situation, and Ubisoft claims that it wants to offer a wide variety of tools to appeal to a large audience.

The developer also explains that there's no difficulty scaling in the open world, which means gamers are encouraged to find areas where they can take out enemies and level up before tackling the hardest missions, with the end-game centered around the Dark Zone.

Ubisoft aims to make The Division a solid single-player experience for those unwilling to group with others, with ten core missions that can be experienced by those playing alone and many other side-quests that give them the options to improve their characters and get more gear.

To expand replayability, the team is also introducing a Hard mode for all missions.

Jansen adds, "One of the cool things we do is that once you hit the max level - level 30 - suddenly the whole Dark Zone re-populates with all-new content and challenges suitable to that level. And now the entire Dark Zone, instead of being segmented where you explore further and further north, the whole Dark Zone is repopulated completely for you to tackle openly again."

The Division will have two separate in-game markets

Players looking to get access to the best possible items and mods for their weapons will need to deal with vendors in the open world while also getting ready to brave the dangers of the Dark Zone to get special currency and deal with an alternate set of potential sellers.

Ubisoft has also said that it wants to deliver regular and free updates for the game as well as paid downloadable content packs.

Jensen points out that no microtransactions, allowing people to get access to special gear or to get experience faster, will be available in The Division, despite wording that suggested their presence being featured on the official PlayStation Store page for the game.

The title can be enjoyed on the PC, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4, but there are no plans to introduce cross-platform play.

Ubisoft has not yet said what kind of content will be featured in the beta, which will test the core infrastructure for the shooter and MMO mix while giving a larger group of players a chance to experience some of the main mechanics.