A new The Division game has received a rating in Taiwan – seemingly, one that hasn’t even been announced yet.
As reported by Tech4Gamers, Taiwan’s game regulator has published ratings for The Division: Warzone. A screenshot of the ratings page shows that the title was rated separately for the different platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
As Tech4Gamers notes, we don’t know if The Division: Warzone really is a new, completely original and independent game, or if its DLC or expansion for an existing The Division title.
It would be a strange move on Ubisoft’s part if this is a new game. As of right now, we know that Ubisoft is working on three The Division titles: the full sequel, The Division 3, the free-to-play spinoff The Division: Heartland, and the mobile third person shooter The Division: Resurgence.
The Division franchise, launched in 2016, is one of Ubisoft’s more recent hit franchises. Ubisoft managed to balance out just enough gameplay and narrative elements to make a compelling live service experience based around a broader story on an ongoing epidemic, and a more thrilling/gut wrenching moment to moment experience, not knowing if the agents around you are going to turn anytime.
But Ubisoft’s ability to continue this franchise, as well as other games, is hampered by the thing that we may all still have in the back of our minds. The company still falls under the shadow of allegations of workplace abuse and misconduct stemming from as far back as 2020.
As of this writing, the most recent development the public has received in relation to these controversies was last October. Five former Ubisoft executives, who no longer hold positions in the company now, were arrested in connection to these allegations.
It really is hard to speak on these issues given how little we know of the legal proceedings. The allegations go all the way up to the top of the company. On one end, news media are avoiding the mistake of pointing fingers at someone who may be found innocent later.
But also, we don’t know to what degree these issues are affecting the company’s ability to make games. We have seen that Ubisoft’s rate of game development has slowed down, with mainly the Assassins’ Creed franchise continuing to see traction.
In any case, we know that any title receiving a game rating is bound to get announced soon. We may not have to wait that long to find out what this The Division: Warzone is.