It’s a decision that’s divided players.
The Division 2’s upcoming Dark Hours raid will require pre-made teams of eight players, despite Ubisoft promising matchmaking for all of the game’s activities.
Talking to a fan on Twitter, Alexandre Guenounou, who works as part of The Division 2’s marketing team, said “There is no matchmaking, you have to team up through clan lists, their friends lists or by inviting other players in the game social spaces before you launch the raid.”
No there is no matchmaking, you have to team up through clan lists, their friends lists or by inviting other players in the game social spaces before you launch the raid
— Alexandre Guenounou (@Alex_Gnn) May 14, 2019
This message runs counter to that tweeted on February 15 this year, which explained that “Matchmaking is provided for every game activity and difficulty level.”
Understandably, some players are unhappy with the situation. It puts The Division 2 in the same camp as Destiny 2, which requires pre-made teams for its raids. Many players that rely on online matchmaking are therefore locked out of the activity. Considering the amount of design that goes into a raid, it can mean missing out on some of the game’s best content.
Guenounou has promised to talk with the Ubisoft Massive team in order to provide “a full overview and explanation.” That sounds more like a breakdown of why matchmaking is required for the raid, rather than changing the pre-built squad requirements. We’ll just have to wait and see what the results of that talk are.
While this news is unwelcome to those who rely on matchmaking, better news can be found in the fact that Ubisoft cancelled plans to increase The Division 2’s Gear Score cap just before the raid dropped. That helped keep plenty of players raid ready, rather than having to quickly grind in the week before Dark Hours launches. The Division 2 was the best selling game in March, so there are plenty of players out there to team up with. Hopefully people find an easy way to join together. And if you’re thinking of joining the ranks yourself, check out our The Division 2 review.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.
