Why did Ubisoft cancel The Division Heartland?

Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland was planned as a free-to-play spin-off to the popular looter-shooter franchise, but Heartland has already been canned before it even saw the light of day.

The Division‘s two entries have racked up millions of copies sold. So, it was no surprise to hear Netflix picked it up to make a live-action adaptation, and Ubisoft also wanted to expand the IP by releasing a spin-off—The Division Heartland.

Heartland was going to feature a mixture of extraction shooter elements—as seen in Escape From Tarkov and Gray Zone Warfare—and a PvPvE mode, so let’s see why its developer decided to cancel the free-to-play The Division.

Why was Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland canceled by Ubisoft?

Ubisoft’s official reason for canceling Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland is because the company wants to “focus on bigger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six.“

In Ubisoft’s 2023-24 Earnings Figures, the company dissected its yearly earnings, compared them to projections, and discussed its strategies for the year ahead. The report also mentions Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland.

“Additionally, in line with the increased selectivity of its investments, Ubisoft has decided to stop development on The Division Heartland and has redeployed resources to bigger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six,” said Ubisoft’s statement.

So that’s it. The Division Heartland is no more, so Ubisoft’s other core games and upcoming releases can receive the time and development they need. It doesn’t mean Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland won’t be made, it just won’t be anytime soon.

Understandably, XDefiant is a huge project for Ubisoft, as the free-to-play FPS looks to compete with COD for the first-person shooter crown. Not only that, but Rainbow Six Siege continues to be an online multiplayer and esports beast. Additionally, other titles are in the works, including the newly announced Assassin’s Creed Shadows.