A banner for The Division: Definitive Edition was seen at the FPS Day X event in Japan recently, confirming some game rumours.
Coming hot off of last year’s success with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Ubisoft could be looking to another franchise to focus its efforts this year. Recently, a banner at the FPS Day X event in Japan featured poster art for The Division: Definitive Edition, along with Division 2 updates. While The Division 3 is still in development, the original game may still have a lot to offer its players.
Tom Clancy’s The Division is a 2016 online-only action RPG featuring multiplayer co-op and PvP. Some credit the game with pioneering and influencing the extraction shooter genre through core mechanics such as looting, crafting, PvPvE, survival elements (hunger, cold), and the tense goal of extracting a specific item. Although many would say Escape From Tarkov is the first true extraction shooter.
Spotted by domen0204 on X, the banner featured the poster for the upcoming Definitive Edition, with many visitors hoping the developers would finally make an official announcement during its 10th Anniversary celebrations. Another image by the X user showed that The Division 2‘s devs confirmed a ‘Realism mode’ coming in March 2026. It also contains some merch of some kind for the game.
Here is what we already know about The Division 2’s Realism Mode: it will feature action-focused gameplay, reduced time to kill, and realistic weapon damage based on bullet calibre. These changes allow players to immerse themselves in the game in a brand new way. In game-changing fashion, the mode will also introduce a reduced user interface, a limited HUD, no health regeneration, reduced cooldowns, and more. Developers also confirmed this is only the “first glimpse of the celebrations ahead,” with “more surprises” still to come.
FPS Day X attendees were able to try the new Realism Mode, and the Ubisoft Japan channel also posted a video outlining the feature. Creative director Yannick Banchereau said in the video: “Realism Mode is your chance to experience The Division 2 like never before, raw and unforgiving.” The only catch is that the mode will be available only during a special anniversary mini-season beginning in March. Players must also own the Warlords of New York expansion to access it.
Something all players can enjoy is the new anniversary crossover taking place with three other Tom Clancy series. The outfits, based on characters from Rainbow Six Siege X, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon, can be unlocked through the Anniversary Pass, although full details have not yet been revealed. However, as with last year’s Payday collaboration, the content could be free and progression-based through the Anniversary Pass.
Ubisoft series such as Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, and Rainbow Six Siege have carried the publisher for some time. However, The Division series should not be overlooked. As noted earlier, the first game incorporated many extraction shooter elements, helping pave the way for more recent titles such as Escape From Tarkov and Arc Raiders.
