Ubisoft Massive is developing at least two big-budget video games. The first one,
Tom Clancy's The Division 2, will launch next spring, giving you a chance to try surviving in Washington seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York, struggling on the devastated streets of the proud nation's capital where the remaining survivors cling to hope and struggle to rebuild from the ashes.
The Avatar project has been announced some time ago, but we still don't know if it's a current-gen, or a next-gen title that will launch around 2020 when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 successor are expected to launch. There's a lot of reasons to anticipate those games, but there's one feature that will be absent in both games - strong political messages and pushing one's agenda and (or) worldview.
According to Ubisoft Massive COO Alf Condelius, "
we cannot be openly political in our games," he said in an interview with Games Industry. "
So for example in The Division, it's a dystopian future and there's a lot of interpretations that it's something that we see the current society moving towards, but it's not - it's a fantasy. It's also bad for business, unfortunately, if you want the honest truth.... but it is interesting and it is a discussion that we have, and it's an ongoing discussion we have with our users, of course, because people want to put an interpretation into the universe that we create and they want to see their own reality in the fantasies that we give them, and the stories that the games are."
As for the
Avatar project, "
James Cameron's vision with the movie is that we need to do something as humans because we're going to destroy the world if we continue the way we are [going]," he explained . "
That is political, but we're not going out and saying you should vote for that person, or you should not do this; but it's a political statement of course, and we think that it's important, but we're not writing it on somebody's nose."
It's clear that Ubisoft will tackle with "political" topics in the future but won't try to say anything substantial on that matter, just like in
Far Cry 5 which had an opportunity to make a thematic point about religion, the United States, or the current state of the nation’s politics.
The Division 2 will remain apolitical too, as taking up arms against a corrupt government is apparently not a political motive.
Washington D.C. is on the brink of collapse. Lawlessness and instability threaten our society, and rumors of a coup in the capitol are only amplifying the chaos. All active Division agents are desperately needed to save the city before it's too late. You are a member of the Division, an elite group of civilian agents charged with being the last line of defense. With DC at risk, it's time to gear up and use your unique skills to take on this new threat.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 will be available March 15th, 2019 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.