After the cancellation ofTom Clancy’s The Division: Heartlandlast year, many fans were wondering just what the future of this multiplayer franchise entailed. There didn’t seem to be any major plans in sight – at least, until this past week when Ubisoft officially unveiled a brand-new DLC pack forTom Clancy’s The Division 2. Titled Battle for Brooklyn, this DLC is set to whisk players back to New York once more for a whole new adventure. Even though that could lead to some exciting content forTom Clancy’s The Division 2, it could also be too little, too late.
Battle for Brooklyn will not only bring players to new locales, but it is also set tokick offThe Division 2’s seventh year of content. However, it’s been years since the gamegot content of this size. In that time, so many more multiplayer games have been released that are vying for players' attentions, and there hasn’t been a lot to keep players coming back. That means this DLC has a lot to prove when it debuts.
The Division 2’s Next DLC May Be Facing an Uphill Battle
Battle for Brooklyn is Long Overdue
One of the biggest reasons why Battle for Brooklyn may have a rough road ahead is because of how long it took to release.Tom Clancy’s The Division 2first launched back in 2019, three years after the original game launched. Upon release, it received a slew of updates that expanded the game in exciting new ways. Then, only a year later, Ubisoft addedthe Warlords of New York DLC, which brought players back to the setting of the first game and introduced even more content for them to sink their teeth into.
Since 2020,Tom Clancy’s The Division 2hasn’t really gotten anything on the level of that first DLC. There’s been seasonal content that added new Manhunts, events, mechanics, and changes, but overall, players have spent the last five years retreading many of the same locations, with some of the seasons simply being a re-run of a previous season. Now,the Battle of Brooklyn DLCis set to expandThe Division 2’s world at last, but it should have released a lot sooner.
Many Players Are Looking to the Division’s Future
It’s rather untimely to release a DLC five years after the last one, especially as players are looking to the future of the franchise. In 2021, Ubisoft seemed focused on the future thanks tothe free-to-play spin-offTom Clancy’s The Division: Heartland. Developed by Red Storm Entertainment, this title was supposed to bring players to rural America in a new twist to the franchise’s formula. It looked like a promising next step for the franchise, but Ubisoft would end up canceling it in 2024 after multiple delays. Outside of that, all players really have is the upcoming mobile game.
Luckily, in 2023, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment alsorevealed thatTom Clancy’s The Division 3is on the way. As of now, there is no news on what that will look like, so it remains to be seen if it can deliver.Heartlandwas once in place to bridge the gap, but with its cancellation, that responsibility seems to be falling on the Battle for Brooklyn DLC. However, couple the pressure to deliver substantial content with the large gap between DLC releases, and the DLC may be in a bit of a tough spot.
The Battle for Brooklyn DLC will have to bring a lot to the table if it wants any chance at making its mark. Not only does it need to offer enough content for players at launch, but its Year 7 content also needs to give players a good reason to keep coming back for more. Otherwise, many may just pass it by.
