Ubisoft’s The Division has already gone through a fairly successful closed beta, but now the game will undergo some more public testing via an open beta, which was announced by Ubisoft today. Beginning on February 18th for Xbox One players and February 19th for PS4 and PC users, the beta will run until February 21st. Since it is a short time for the beta and probably not a small download, pre-loading begins for all players on February 16th. The open beta will feature new content not previously available in the closed beta, for those who have already explored the extent of the content available in that version.
The Division launches on March 8th, 2016, but players who participate in the open beta can get a hands-on look at story missions that will be available in the full release, as well as the unique PvP that takes place in The Dark Zone. As a special bonus, those who play in the beta will also receive a special in-game reward for the full game.
The open beta was rumored to be happening previously because of a leaked screenshot that cited February 16th-21st as the open beta dates. Though slightly off on the dates, the rumor appears to have held some water. The purpose of the open beta is to further stress the game’s systems and see what works and doesn’t in a public setting. MAny of the PC cheating issues from the closed beta have been rectified and further fixes are being done. The plan is for any big problems that occur in public testing to be remedied by the time The Division comes out.
The Division will be released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, on March 8th, 2016.
Source: Ubisoft Press Release