According to Ubisoft , servers for Tom Clancy’s The Division will go live for the public and the games press at exactly the same time.
“Since it’s impossible for us to populate the servers in a way that would adequately replicate playing The Division on launch day, reviewers will start playing the game along with everyone else when it’s released on March 8 – after the servers go live officially and globally at 00:01AM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT),” said Ubisoft in a post on their blog.
This means that the games press will not have time to post a complete review of The Division in its final form before the public heads out to pick up their pre-orders or purchase the game, which over 6 million players enjoyed in the beta.
“We anticipate there may be some impressions posted online within the first few days of launch that were based on experiences with The Division Beta, and we look forward to seeing streams, videos, and opinions that provide accounts of final, in-game conditions,” Ubisoft added.
While Ubisoft’s comments seem as though they’re attempting to avoid the implication that they aren’t looking forward to Day One reviews, players may remember another unusual decision Ubisoft made about a different game and how its reviews should roll out.
In 2014, the launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity was marred by the discovery of its many bugs. Ubisoft’s embargo required press outlets to hold their reviews until noon of launch day, meaning that those who were most excited for the title were the least forewarned about its many issues.
The open beta means we all have a taste of what The Division should be like, but the lack of time for press reviews means it will be that much tougher to present pros, cons, and an informed opinion on The Division’s final build on Day One, when most people will want that information.
Digital copies of The Division go live on Xbox One, PS4 and PC at 12:01 AM on March 8. Servers go live globally and officially on March 7 at 8 AM.
You can check out our detailed impressions of the open beta for The Division here .
