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Coming soon to a console near you: MMOs
Remember E3 2013? That huge video games conference thing from earlier in the summer? Weeks have passed since Microsoft and Sony squared off in the Los Angeles convention center (while Nintendo posted up at Best Buy and Ouya sulked in the parking lot), but the news made there continues to reverberate through the games industry. One curious trend seems to have been missed amid the clashing of proverbial titans: There sure are a lot of MMOs and online-focused games due on consoles this generation. And since MMOs are the business of Massively, we thought it might be fun to compile a quick list of all the ones we can find that are either already available on our current consoles or set for launch on the next batch. The list, as it turns out, is pretty extensive.
Tom Clancy's The Division due in late 2014
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot dropped the tiniest tidbit of information in regard to the studio's upcoming open-world, shooty title The Division during a call with investors this morning. According to Guillemot, the game should land on Xbox One and PS4 sometime near the end of 2014. No specific date was given, though Guillemot did note that players should expect the game to land "closer to the end of the year than the beginning." The Division is a persistent-world online tactical shooter that combines elements of MMOs, RPGs, and the normal Tom Clancy-type stuff we've all come to know and expect. Check out the E3 gameplay reveal after the break to see it in action.
The Division begins recruiting 'closer to the end' of 2014
During Ubisoft's first quarter investor call today, CEO Yves Guillemot narrowed the release window of open-world Xbox One and PS4 RPG The Division to late in 2014. "We can expect it will be closer to the end of the year than the beginning," said Guillemot, adding a follow-up clarification that he meant for the calendar year and not the fiscal (which would have meant Jan.-Mar., 2015). Today's call emphasized Ubisoft's next-gen strategy, which will be a heavy investment and focus on open-world games with multiplayer components. %Gallery-190971%
Leaderboard: Which platform would you prefer for The Division?
I'm really conflicted about The Division. On the one hand, it was one of the more interesting MMOish developments that I saw at this year's E3. On the other hand, it's disappointing that Ubisoft initially positioned it as a console-only title. It's also a little off-putting that the company is waffling with a maybe-we-will-and-maybe-we-won't attitude when it comes to bringing the game to the PC. Maybe Ubisoft truly hasn't decided how -- or whether -- to allocate its dev resources to cover multiple platforms. Or maybe it has decided and it's just milking the controversy for PR reasons, but either way it's pretty crappy from a PC customer's perspective. Assuming that The Division does make it to all three major platforms, and assuming you're interested in the title to begin with, which would you prefer to play it on? Vote after the cut!
Ubisoft reads the internet, may bring The Division to PC
Ubisoft continues its coy dance with PC gamers regarding The Division, a new action MMO announced at E3. Initially the firm said that the title was coming to next-gen consoles. Shortly thereafter, Division developers implored interested PC gamers to make their voices heard, and they did via an internet petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures. Now, in a video published on IGN, Ubisoft's Ryan Barnard says that "we're not ruling out other platforms because we do also read the internet. I think Ubisoft as a company considers maximizing the potential of a game, so if the audience is there and the desire is there..." Curiously, IGN's video was recorded at E3 but held for publication until June 24th, so Barnard's comments indicate that Ubisoft was considering a PC version of The Division even before the aforementioned brouhaha.
The Division has 'classless characters,' second screen detailed
Ubisoft has shed a little light on its new Tom Clancy open-world RPG for Xbox One and PS4, The Division. First and foremost, the game has no predefined classes. Players are allowed to assign skills to their characters as they see fit and those skills are "totally changeable." So, you're able to spec your character as a healer or tank or whatever the situation demands. The publisher also detailed The Division's second screen experience, which allows players to join games via a mobile device. Joining a game via a tablet allows players to take on the role of a drone that can provide a number of benefits to players on a console. The drone is able to heal and provide buffs to players, tag and debuff enemies, and it can even summon a missile strike. Drones have their own progression system as well. As did many of the games shown at E3, The Division will employ a seamless multiplayer system, allowing online squads to play cooperatively or engage in PVP without leaving the game world. A "black-market economy" system will allow players to create weapons and items and trade them with others.
Over 50,000 gamers petition Ubisoft for a PC version of The Division
Last week's E3 reveal of Ubisoft's The Division MMO shooter was met with some oohs, some ahhs, and some WTFs as PC gamers realized that the software giant was ignoring their platform of choice to focus on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. What's a disgruntled gamer to do? Sign a petition, of course, and as of press time, over 50,000 disgruntled gamers have expressed their desire to see the Tom Clancy-style title find a home on the PC. According to Dark Side of Gaming and PC Gamer, Division developers encouraged potential players to "sign petitions, get on forums, and post their requests."
E3 2013: The Division, Ubisoft's MMO shooter
Ubisoft's claim that its new MMO shooter The Division will have a "persistent world" piqued Massively's collective interest. At E3, we chatted briefly with Game Director Ryan Bernard, who has previously worked on EverQuest, EverQuest 2, and Warhammer Online. I asked what about the game and its persistent nature would appeal to MMO players and was told that actually, the team doesn't plan to make it "too persistent" at all. Each player will have his own little chunk of the world. Everything in that part of the world is persistent for him, and his friends can come over and help him out, kind of like Animal Crossing without the talking tanuki. The developers believe this will allow for a strong single-player experience while still having a visible impact on the player's slice of the world. There are places in the world that are persistent for everyone: the PvP areas. You won't want to travel around them without friends, but unfortunately, Bernard couldn't reveal more. The game is being released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but Ubisoft hasn't ruled out other platforms or cross-platform play just yet. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 10-13, bringing you all the best news from E3 2013. We're covering everything from WildStar and Elder Scrolls Online and ArcheAge to FFXIV's inbound revamp and TERA's latest update, so stay tuned!
Ubisoft's E3 2013 conference details The Division, Rabbids Invasion, The Crew
Ubisoft had a few surprises in store during its 2013 E3 press briefing, teasing a bold new direction for its Rabbids series and introducing the post-pandemic online RPG, Tom Clancy's The Division, among other notable announcements. Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell kicked off the conference with a guitar-shredding demonstration of Rocksmith 2014's Session Mode, in which budding guitarists can customize backing music tracks in real-time using voice commands. A trailer for the online PC RPG The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot followed; afterward, Ubisoft revealed that it is accepting signups for a closed beta. Ubisoft assured that Obsidian Entertainment's RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth is alive and well, narrowing down its release date to Holiday 2013. Ubisoft previously acquired the project from THQ following the troubled publisher's dissolution late last year. Ubisoft Reflections and Ivory Tower's The Crew was up next, showcasing its unique brand of destructive multiplayer racing across a persistent online world. A release is planned next year for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC platforms.
E3 2013: Ubisoft announces 'MMO shooter' The Division
Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy's The Division, a "massive online" title about which very little is known. Game Informer labels it an "MMO shooter," but thus far there is no information about the number of supported or simultaneous players or whether or not the title will feature some sort of persistent world. The website says that Ubisoft has "designed the title without classes and with solo play in mind," including a flexible build system, instanced encounters, and group content that encourages players to actually group due to a lack of difficulty scaling. Touch Arcade reports that tablet players can jump in as drones alongside regular players. You can view a gameplay teaser after the cut. [Thanks to Paul for the official link!]
The Division announced, is an online, open-world Tom Clancy RPG [update: 2014, trailers]
Massive Entertainment is bringing The Division, an online open-world RPG set in the Tom Clancy universe, to the Xbox One and PS4. Ubisoft unveiled the game at its E3 conference. The setting is New York, in a world three weeks deep into a global pandemic which began on Black Friday. Players take on the role of 'The Division,' a group of "self-supported tactical agents." A gameplay video showed a player in third-person view co-operating with other agents to infiltrate and secure a police station, and then loot its armory, before suddenly entering into a standoff with other players. Update: A press release reveals The Division is due next year. Also, we've got both the announcement trailer (above) and gameplay demo (below the break).
