Ubisoft cancels free-to-play The Division during new Assassin’s Creed reveal

As Ubisoft formally revealed a long-awaited major installment in one of its iconic series, it has canceled another while sending the developers off to work on other projects.

Ubisoft announced today it has canceled Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland, a free-to-play sequel to the original game set in a more rural environment rather than the traditional urban one. The cancellation was confirmed the same day Ubisoft released the highly anticipated reveal trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

According to an Ubisoft statement, the “tough call” was made “after careful consideration,” and the publisher is now working on transitioning members of Heartland developer Red Storm Entertainment “to new projects within [the] company, including XDefiant and Rainbow Six.” In an earnings call statement, Ubisoft said the cancellation was “in line with the increased selectivity of its investments.” According to the earnings call, Ubisoft is still planning to release the mobile-only The Division Resurgence during this recently begun fiscal year.

In the past couple of years, Ubisoft has canceled more than a handful of titles, including a Splinter Cell VR game, Ghost Recon Frontline, and several unannounced games as part of a massive cost-cutting project. Additionally, the Watch Dogs series is reportedly “dead.”

According to CEO Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft is “back on track” for a “profitable growth trajectory” after its numerous cancellations and layoffs, prioritizing fewer but bigger releases. During the next fiscal year, Ubisoft plans to release XDefiant, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws, The Division Resurgence, and Rainbow Six Mobile.