The director behind The Division and Star Wars Outlaws has announced he’s leaving Ubisoft for EA, for a new role at Battlefield Studios.
You may have forgotten about it because there hasn’t been an update for over two years, but The Division 3 is currently in development at Massive Entertainment.
A mainline sequel to The Division 2 was announced in September 2023, but no footage has ever been released. However, series executive producer Julian Gerighty did recently hype up the project in an interview earlier this month, saying it was ‘shaping up to be a monster’. Which was presumably meant as a positive.
Just over a week after those comments, however, Gerighty has announced he’s leaving Massive Entertainment, and Ubisoft in general, for a new role at EA’s Battlefield Studios.
A statement from Massive Entertainment reads: ‘While we’ll miss him, his mark will live on at Massive and we’ll continue to bring the world he’s been part of creating to our players for years to come. Julian, your legacy is part of this studio and remember: once an Agent, always an Agent.
‘For our players, don’t worry, Agents. Our teams who built this world with Julian are still here, carrying it forward with an ambitious, unchanged commitment for the future with The Division 2, The Division 2: Survivors, The Division Resurgence, and The Division 3.’
According to Ubisoft, The Division veterans Yannick Banchereau and Mathias Karlson will remain as creative directors on The Division 2 and The Division 3, respectively, while the original game’s co-director, Magnus Jansén, will helm The Division 2’s extraction mode Survivors.
In his own exit post, Gerighty wrote: ‘Agents! Quick update from the Base Of Operations: It’s time for me to hang up my go bag (keeping the watch) as I go on another grand adventure.
‘The Division burns bright, and I can’t wait for you to discover what the teams have been working on. Long live The Division and Godspeed!’
Three months ago, Ubisoft denied Gerighty was leaving the studio, in response to rumours of his exit, describing them as ‘far from true’.
While it’s unclear what Gerighty’s role will be over at EA’s Battlefield Studios, this comes just a few weeks after the death of the franchise’s lead, Vince Zampella, who died aged 55 in a car crash in Los Angeles.
Earlier this week, Ubisoft announced (via IGN) a ‘proposed organisational restructure’ at Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm, which would affect 55 jobs in total. However, it’s unclear if Gerighty’s exit is related.
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According to his LinkedIn, Gerighty joined Ubisoft in 1999, and went on to become a creative director on The Crew. He became a lead at Massive Entertainment in 2015, where he served as a director on The Division, The Division 2, and Star Wars Outlaws.
As for when we could see The Division 3, there’s a chance we could get an update soon, with the series celebrating its 10th anniversary on March 8, 2026.
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