The Division DLC Exclusive to Xbox for One Month
By Sarah Fields 26 February 2016
PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One gamers are eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s release of The Division. However, Xbox One gamers will receive an advantage over players on the other two systems: a limited exclusivity window for The Division‘s first two expansions.
The Division‘s first two expansions, Underground and Survival, will both be available for Xbox One players for thirty days prior to releasing on the other two systems. A GameStop employee previously confirmed that PlayStation 4 players would have to wait for The Division‘s DLC, but it remained unclear if the PC users would have to as well, until now.
While the developers of The Division have worked to create as equal a playing experience as possible across all three systems, it would seem that Microsoft and Ubisoft came to a decision to give Xbox One players this particular advantage. Considering that Microsoft and Ubisoft have also released a limited edition The Division Xbox One console, it makes sense for the two’s ties to continue to the game’s expansions.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if players of the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of the games are feeling a bit miffed by this decision. However, a thirty day exclusivity window is pretty minor, especially when compared to longer exclusivity periods for entire games, like the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider not releasing until over two months after the Xbox One version, and the PlayStation 4 version still somewhere on the horizon. In any case, The Division has repeatedly promised a large game world with plenty of content for gamers to explore, so hopefully PC and PS4 gamers won’t feel like they’re hurting for content while Xbox One players are enjoying the expansion first.
Despite the expansion exclusivity, Ubisoft is keeping its promise to give gamers on any system simultaneous access to its free updates. This includes Incursions, an end-game activity with promises of high-end loot, and Conflict, which will beef up the Dark Zone with new features. In addition, the third expansion for The Division, The Last Stand, is set to be released simultaneously on all three systems, although it won’t release until winter.
While console exclusivity generally seems to irritate many players, it’s a relief to know that in this case, the base game isn’t being delivered to just one console for a prolonged period of time. This may be the latest evidence that Microsoft isn’t relying as heavily on exclusivity to sell more Xbox One units, which would be a welcome change.
The Division releases on March 8th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Its expansions, Underground and Survival, will release during the summer.
Source: Ubisoft
