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The Division Developer Praises Watch Dogs Delay
On October 15, 2013, just one month before its intended release, Ubisoft announced that Watch Dogs was delayed. The news caused a financial tumble for the Paris-based publisher, but was largely regarded as a good move by press and fans.
Ubisoft’s fall 2014 lineup is starting to fill up, with The Crew confirmed for release in that window, and Assassin’s Creed (possibly two different games) also arriving. The big unknown right now is The Division. The persistent online shooter currently carries a “TBA 2014” release date.
Ubisoft Massive, which is leading development that includes Ubisoft Reflections and Ghost Recon developer Red Storm, has been working diligently on its Snowdrop engine and the ambitious title. Massive’s managing director, David Polfeldt, recently shared his admiration for Ubisoft’s willingness to delay major titles.
“It’s tremendously important for us as a developer studio, to know that the owner and the publisher are ready to take that hit, and [the Watch Dogs delay] was a massive hit,” Polfeldt told Examiner. “So for us in the development [side of things], that’s an important message that ultimately the management will back up the goals that we have, which is the game has to be great.”
Watch Dogs is slated for release on May 27 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. A Wii U version will be coming some time later (possibly this fall). For more on The Division, check out past coverage.
[Source: Examiner]
Our Take
I’ve been skeptical of The Division’s 2014 release date for some time, and it’s hard not to look at Polfeldt’s comments as a prelude to that shoe dropping. In addition to an increasingly crowded line up for Fall 2014, Ubisoft could delay the title without a severe financial impact if (and only if) it manages to get the game in our hands before the end of the fiscal year in March 2015.
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