Ubisoft Massive is bringing back for a limited time the fan favorite game mode, although the reaction from community is,… to say the least, a little icy. The Division’s official Twitter account announced the launch of the week-long event called ‘Survive Fest’ from December 9th to 15th. So what is the catch? Players will once again live through the hardcore Survival mode of the original game where they will have to rely on gathering, creating items and battling not only enemies but also the harsh weather conditions to get the city out of the storm. There are not only rewards but also chances for players to give input, which would be very helpful in deciding “what’s next”. All this sounds really cool right? But the devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and the replies definitely show the mood.
The event will feature the hardcore Survival mode of the original game, not the sequel. During the event week players can get exclusive perks. But the distribution of those rewards is what the players are most vociferous about. Only a tiny fraction of the total participants will claim Premium Loot according to the developers’ announcement and the players’ interpretations of it, which is only 20 players total. Out of the thousands expected to be involved, that’s all. The rest? Just log in to The Division 2 during the event and you will receive a participation patch. That’s all.
Uh-huh. That is correct. The biggest incentive offered to the players for not playing the original game’s tough Survival mode is a lottery with impossibly low odds. One player named Libertarian177 calculated (or at least did the dramatic math) and called it a “.00000001% chance,” besides his retort, “What’s the point?” Another user, UrMumSwallows, was direct: “Making the rewards only for ‘20 people’ is alienating your small but supportive fan base.” Other players share similar views, some offering to award anyone that gets to the threshold score, e.g., 20k in Survival, which is a tough requirement. This would make it a skill reward rather than a random draw.
But wait! There’s still more! The community is not only displeased with the reward system. Some view this as an indication of life—or just life for the original game—actually, it’s a fusion of nostalgia and frustration. “Division 1 was great btw,” the user MilkyWayVegan stated, but this person also said it seemed “a bit too late.” Others are more profound in their questioning, e.g., JimzTitz wonders if Massive has “abandoned a new division,” or Niko48074 is asking about the long-anticipated mobile game adaptation of The Division. What a mood it is—a perhaps the more aggressive side of the community who at least have an affinity with the world but are very mistrustful of the present developers’ actions.
In addition, the technical issues have been a source of frustration. Player estebanjudoka mentioned that NPCs were suffering a “60% damage reduction,” and labeled the developers the ones who “kill the fun” in the game. HikoMiang, on the contrary, was just trying to find out whether the event was on console or PC only and was, while praising Survival as “best in the series,” wishing the feature had made it into The Division 2 from the start. Just the usual gaming stuff—slight misunderstanding, massive enthusiasm and very mixed comments regarding balance.
However, it is not all dark and cold. Hidden among the complaints are pockets of real excitement. A small group of players, including TorpedoGnome, GamerGrl73, crawbits and agentfshep, are trying to lift each other’s spirits in the replies, even sharing old screenshots and talking about getting the team back together for “survival shenanigans.” What a sweet reminder it is! For some, it is a chance to get back to a really cool mode with friends. “Assemble the crew,” wrote crawbits. That is the spirit indeed.
So what is the conclusion that we can draw from all this Twitter commotion? Ubisoft Massive is attempting to attract players back to the The Division realm, maybe they’re testing the reception of upcoming content or simply celebrating a classic. However for a great number of the core players, particularly the ones that are always critical, the execution regarding the rewards has been a disaster. It’s a missed chance to really acknowledge those loyal agents who are prepared to fire up the old game and brave the storm once more. It’s more like a contest with rigged odds than a celebration.
The ‘Surviving Festival’ will take place from December 9 to 15. If you are a masochist who enjoys the original Survival mode or just want to see a game event on PlayStation and Xbox
