The Division was originally a World of Warcraft style MMO, but “that skill component wasn’t there”, says Massive Entertainment
Massive Entertainment has revealed that The Division was originally conceptualized as a World of Warcraft-style massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) during early development, before evolving into the third-person looter-shooter released in 2016. According to creative director Drew Rechner and game director Fredrik Thyland in a recently published 10th anniversary video, the original design featured traditional MMO mechanics including a hotbar and a dog companion.
The shift away from the MMO format was driven by the team’s realization that the skill-based component critical to traditional MMO gameplay was missing from their vision. Rather than pursuing the World of Warcraft formula, Massive Entertainment pivoted toward the action-oriented, cooperative looter-shooter gameplay that defined the final product.
The revelation comes as the Division franchise experiences renewed momentum in 2026. Ubisoft released a Definitive Edition for the original game in February, while The Division 2 received a substantial roadmap update last month featuring highly requested features including crossplay support, new DLC content, and a fresh extraction experience mode that expands on the game’s live-service offerings.
The candid look at The Division’s development journey underscores how significantly game design can shift during production, even at fundamental conceptual levels. What began as an attempt to capture the MMO audience transformed into a franchise that found success in a different genre entirely.