The Division 2 will release on the Epic Store, not Steam
Ubisoft and Epic have announced a semi-exclusive partnership for PC game releases.
Epic Games scored a big one today with the announcement of a partnership with Ubisoft that will see at least some of its future PC releases come to the Epic Games Store, and not to Steam. As reported by Polygon, the semi-exclusive deal will begin in March with the launch of The Division 2.
"We have no plans currently on releasing Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on Steam," a Ubisoft rep said. Ubisoft and Epic will "also partner on additional select titles [coming to the Epic Games Store] to be announced during the coming year."
"We entrust Epic to deliver a smooth journey for our fans, from preordering the game and enjoying our Beta to the launch of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on March 15," Ubisoft vice president of partnerships Chris Early said in the announcement. "Epic continues to disrupt the videogame [sic] industry, and their third party digital distribution model is the latest example, and something Ubisoft wants to support."
The Division 2 had been listed on Steam, and can still be seen in the Steam Database, but the product page has been removed. It will also be available for purchase through Ubisoft's own storefront.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.