We've been learning so much about the upcoming The Division sequel ever since E3 earlier this year. With that thrilling new trailer straight from GamesCom and the revelation of all of the different editions available to pre-order, it's an easy excitement to get swept up in. As someone who is originally from New Olreans however, it was interesting to find out that the game almost was set in the land of voodoo and delicious foods. But New Orleans wasn't the only potential setting for The Division 2. Seattle was also right up there on the list of setting interest.

Ubisoft sat down with our pals over at PC Gamer to talk about the potential settings before they settled on DC. "First off, D.C. wasn't always set in stone as the choice of the game. We considered places like Seattle in Washington, and we also considered New Orleans."

Though there were a few different places of interest, the team ultimately decided that DC was the best fit. According to Ubisoft, "A place like D.C. gives us nature, wide open spaces, the monuments, and a greater sense of wildlife. D.C. is built on swamp, the air is hot and sticky in the summer; but it also has a lot of colour, and that's a nice contrast to the first Division game."

They also mentioned that the attention to detail was immense. The audio team recorded day and night cycles to have an accurate "ambient" background, all in the name of immersion during the crisis narrative that sets up the sequel.

The next step for the franchise with The Division 2 is a fresh start, a clean slate. Earlier last month we learned exactly why the team decided to start fresh rather than continue to try to improve the first game, "“It wasn’t an easy decision," said Financial Officer Alain Martinez, "but there are so many stories and so many experiences that we want to explore within the world of The Division that we really felt a sequel was the best way to investigate these things.”

Game Director Mathias Karlson mentioned in addition, “Also, I mean, the process of making something is such an important part of learning and improving what to do next, what to do in the future. And these are all the same people, all the same teams and studios that made the first game. It’s an incredible opportunity for us to take all that learning, all that experience from what The Division is today and put that into a new game.”

The Division 2 launches for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC players on March 15th, 2019. For those that pre-order the Gold Edition or higher, the game will be available on March 12th.

Posted: Aug 24, 2018 10:50 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/08/22/the-division-2-seattle-new-orleans-locations/