As soon as this year, The Division will return with a free-to-play game called The Division Heartland. Details are so far sparse about the title, but it's part of a larger plan to continue to aggressively expand the series. Ubisoft also confirmed a new mobile game, novel, and new content for The Division 2, but a free-to-play version of its hit looter shooter is no doubt its top priority.
Much to the surprise of many, Ubisoft confirmed earlier in 2021 that it would be releasing new content for The Division 2. The game had been winding down support after two years of constant content, but Ubisoft must have seen behind-the-scenes revenue in order make the decision to provide a bit more post-launch support before it fully moves on to its open-world Star Wars game.
Ubisoft confirmed that Red Storm is developing a new free-to-play game set in The Division's universe. The Division Heartland is releasing sometime in 2021 or 2022. The game will be on PC, consoles, and cloud services, but there's no specific details regarding the title just yet. It's not clear if the game will lead into another project or if it's a full-blown response to the likes of Destiny 2 like the two existing mainline entries. Ubisoft also doubled down on The Division movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, something that has been in development for several years, and confirmed a new mobile game and novel set after the events of The Division 2.
Based on the title, it sounds like The Division Heartland may be set in the Midwest, which could be interesting, though it could support multiple locations at launch (if not over time). The first two games have taken place on the east coast in large cities with intricate streets, large buildings, and underground systems. Moving to more flat land with corn fields, suburbs, and more would be a rather interesting direction for the series. It's likely Ubisoft will detail the new game at its E3 2021 Ubisoft Foward presentation on June 12.
Ubisoft Massive is working on an open-world Star Wars game and another using the Avatar: The Last Airbender license, so it's likely a bit busy to tackle a new full game in The Division universe. That's a further hint that The Division Heartland is the next mainline game in the series, but it remains to be seen whether or not Red Storm will take over The Division at Ubisoft from here on.
The Division Heartland will be available on consoles and PC in 2021-2022.