The Division fans have been curious about the possibility of a battle royale for years. Ubisoft even issued a survey in 2017 asking whether The Division players would want a battle royale in the franchise. Rumors have swirled in the years since, but no battle royale has come to fruition as Ubisoft instead released the now-defunct Hyper Scape. That may be changing, though, as there's a new rumor indicating that a standalone The Division battle royale could be back on track.
As reported by Jeff Grubb on the Game Mess podcast, Ubisoft is potentially resurrecting a The Division battle royale project that was previously in development for some time. The game has been known as codename Reaper within Ubisoft and may have been in development since 2018. Reaper was ultimately shelved, however, in part due to underwhelming feedback from early player impressions. Now Reaper may be back, retooled to offer a more unique battle royale experience.
The new The Division battle royale project isn't being rebuilt from the ground up, which could mean it's being fast-tracked for release. Instead of being remade, it's described as being retooled with "roguelike features." The Division has historically been a class-based experience. "Roguelike features" could, speculatively, be as simple as stripping away The Division's class-based trappings and making it more focused on randomized loot drops not just for weapons and equipment but also abilities.
It's also explicitly said that The Division battle royale project is being resurrected because Hyper Scape failed and Ubisoft still wants a successful battle royale. This isn't an abnormal strategy for a major game publisher, of course. Most publishers are exploring massive free-to-play online multiplayer experiences, given how lucrative they can be.
Ubisoft should also understand more than most that the live service market is currently oversaturated and breaking into the market isn't guaranteed. For every League of Legends there's a Paragon and Guardians of Middle-Earth. For every PUBG and Fortnite there's a Hyper Scape. Ubisoft will hopefully be taking what it learned from Hyper Scape struggles and putting it into ensuring The Division's battle royale is a great live service game.
The Division and battle royale fans should maintain a healthy amount of skepticism with the rumor, at this point. Ubisoft's currently going through a bit of a transition. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is being delayed, and four Ubisoft projects have reportedly been canceled. It's unclear if The Division battle royale was impacted, if it even exists. And even if the game is in development, it could be some time before it's announced. Expect further updates in the months or years to come.
The Division battle royale is rumored to be in development.