Few would argue that it takes real patience to remain a dedicated follower of Tom Clancy’s The Division. Originally announced as a Holiday 2014 release, we've lost track of how many time the game has been delayed in the ensuing years Just last month Ubisoft delayed a scheduled beta test for The Division, igniting a new wave of concern about an RPG-shooter hybrid scheduled to hit retail in March. But one UK retailer seems to think fans will be playing Tom Clancy’s The Division before the end of January.
According to reddit user Immortan_Joe9, who purportedly exchanged emails with a FunStockDigital support representative, the closed beta for The Division will begin on Jan. 29. In his correspondence, which can be seen here, the reddit user asks for the date when he (and others who pre-ordered the game) can expect Tom Clancy’s The Division beta keys to be distributed. Rather than providing a one-off answer, or ducking the question entirely, the FSD representative proceeds to spill ALL of the beans.
As you might expect, it didn’t take long for the gaming community to realize the alleged beta for The Division would be running the same weekend as PAX South. While some have taken this as a sign the email is fake, and/or the FSD representative doesn’t actually know what he/she is talking about, it’s important to remember this wouldn’t be the first launch we’ve seen during an industry event. Two years ago, Electronic Arts launched the Battlefield: Hardline beta during its E3 press conference. And Konami released Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain when many people were still returning from PAX Prime.
More importantly, less than one percent of the gaming population will be attending PAX South later this month. So it’s not like there won’t be other people available to help test The Division, and the game’s servers, during the final weekend of the month. It would also explain why Ubisoft is offering beta keys for The Division in its ongoing Humble Bundle. That said, we’ve reached out to Ubisoft, hoping to get confirmation of the rumored Tom Clancy’s The Division beta, and will update this post if/when we hear anything back from the publisher.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Tom Clancy’s The Division coverage throughout 2016 and for however long Ubisoft continues to support The Division in the months following launch.
