As Ubisoft prepares for next year’s launch of The Division 2, fans who once championed the upcoming sequel are now railing against it due to a highly convoluted pre-release pricing structure that spreads the game across a staggering six different edition types.
Yes, you read that right. Ubisoft is offering six separate editions of The Division 2, each with their own perks and exclusive add-ons. Pre-ordering the standard $60 base edition grants access to an upcoming private beta and an exclusive ‘Capital Defender’ item pack, but those who choose to spring for the pricier options, which range in price from $100 up to $250, also receive other perks such as three days of early access, the Year 1 Expansion Pass, additional DLC item packs, and more.
The presence of a Year 1 Pass was what initially got fans’ hackles up because Ubisoft had previously stated that, unlike in The Division, The Division 2’s post-launch expansions would be entirely free for all players. Ubisoft later clarified that the expansions will still be free, but those who own the Year 1 pass will be able to access them (or at least certain parts of them) early.
Another point of contention was the revelation that one of the DLC item packs, the ‘Elite Agent’ pack, will expand the number of slots available in a player’s item stash. In The Division, fans bemoaned the small size of the item stash, so much so that Ubisoft eventually upped the total stash size for all players. Now, fans are understandably upset over the prospect of having to shell out at least $120 if they want to have a bigger stash.
During a recent State of the Game livestream, Ubisoft again clarified that the Elite Agent pack stash upgrade won’t be entirely necessary for the average player, it will just be an extra perk for those who really want to stockpile as much as they can. Still, if the default stash size will supposedly be of a satisfactory size for the average player, then why try to charge money for a bigger stash?
We probably won’t know for sure just how much value The Division 2 has out of the box until it launches on March 15, 2019. Meanwhile, in other Ubisoft news, the studio just released the Dead Living Zombies DLC expansion for Far Cry 5, an expansion which includes seven new achievements/trophies for players to earn.