Ever since its initial announcement during Ubisoft’s pre-E3 press conference in 2013, Tom Clancy’s The Division has been highly anticipated across the gaming community. With a promising combination of third-person shooting action, role-playing elements, multiplayer team balancing and a huge, devastated world to explore, the game is far from your usual military experience.
Now, as the game inches closer to its March 8th release date, Ubisoft has begun ramping up the promotions for The Division. Here’s a breakdown of everything it’s done so far, although we’re sure to see more (TV advertising, print advertisements) leading into the weeks ahead…
- Ubisoft has announced the launch of a multiplayer beta, which kicks off tomorrow and runs through January 31st. It’s meant to test out the servers for the game, although it will give players a taste of what to expect. Expected to launch across Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, the beta will be open to those who preordered the game.
- In an effort to show just how effective money is when it comes to the devastation caused in the world of The Division, Ubisoft has launched a “cash contagion” website that shows just what kind of downfall can come from money being used the wrong way. It’s a unique shake-up that will give players more details in terms of what they can expect from the game.
- On another Division devoted page on Ubisoft’s website, players can drop into the city of Manhattan, using a Google StreetView-like feature to get a good look at the harrowing world, as well as some locations where battles are expected to take place. Only a pair of locations, Madison Field Hospital and Dark Zone Wall, are available at the moment, but more are expected to be revealed over the next few weeks.
- Ubisoft teamed up with Amazon to produce an original The Division series for its Prime members. Titled Agent Origins, the short film tells the story of agents involved in the fight against rogue soldiers, as a tie-in with events that happen within the game.
- At PAX South in San Antonio this weekend, Ubisoft’s The Division will be a big part of Twitch’s plans for the event. It will take center stage in Turtle Beach’s Broadcaster Zone, where a number of top streaming personalities will take part in a multiplayer demonstration for the game. The events will be broadcasted on Twitch’s streaming channel as well, so viewers can tune in and learn what to expect from the forthcoming game – if they don’t have access to the beta already, that is.
Over the next few weeks, promotion for The Division is likely to pick up steam with more TV and print advertisements, similar to what occurred with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege last December, where actor Idris Elba took part in the action.
The game arrives on March 8th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Judging by its pre-release buzz (and the popularity of the forthcoming beta), it’s likely to be a huge hit.