The Division Ubisoft Screenshot PS4 PC
Inside The Division's version of the famous Macy's department store in New York. Ubisoft

Ubisoft has decided to delay the upcoming expansions to Tom Clancy's The Division in order to focus on improving its core gameplay and address "lingering issues that have accumulated" since the popular shooter's release in March.

"With Update 1.4 in the works, it has become clear with your feedback and our own observations that our priority should now be on improving the core gameplay experience," The Division team wrote in a post on 25 August. They also listed some of the changes players can expect in the game's 1.4 update, which is now set to release in October, including bug fixes, game balancing and other improvements.

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Initially set to release together with Update 1.4, the post-apocalyptic, third-person shooter's second expansion - Survival - will now be released independently at a "later date this year." The title's third expansion, Last Stand that was originally supposed to be released towards the end of this year is now slated for release in early 2017.

"This new schedule will not only enable us to strengthen the core experience before adding new content, but also continuously improve it by allowing for more production time to ensure the quality of future updates as well," the team wrote.

Since its launch to positive reception in March as one of the biggest releases of 2016, the French developer's shooter has experienced a barrage of glitches, game-breaking bugsand exploits, leaving many players frustrated and threatening to quit the game due to the game's litany of technical woes. Fervently trying to address and fix these issues, the team said they plan to focus on some of the game's most crucial issues in its upcoming updates.

"This ongoing effort will begin with Update 1.4 where we will address some of the most pressing issues, such as bugs, loot and time to kill and set the foundations for future improvements such as PvP and Dark Zone," the team wrote. "We will make sure to keep you informed of our progress in our weekly State of the Game, and share the complete overview of the changes to come in Update 1.4 in a Special Report livestream on September 13th."

According to The Division team, Update 1.4 and beyond will focus on the following issues:

  • Fixing bugs, including those listed in our Known Issues as well as many other ones
  • Making loot drops more relevant to the player
  • Enemy difficulty and time to kill
  • Gear Sets and weapons balancing
  • Solo player experience
  • Dark Zone and PvP balancing
  • Quality of life additions based on community suggestions (such as weapon skins no longer taking inventory space)

The Division is currently available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

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