Soon to emerge from a prolonged stint in development, Ubisoft’s post-pandemic shooter The Division has evolved rather significantly throughout the course of its production.

The companion app, for example, was axed from the new IP as it was said to give players an unfair advantage, but it isn’t the only feature that won’t make the final cut come March. According to The Examiner, Ubisoft now plans to omit demographic matchmaking from The Division, which would have taken strides to ensure players are paired with other survivors of a similar skill level and age group.

Alas, said feature will be left on the cutting room floor, with Creative Director Magnus Jansen explaining the reason behind the decision.

“It’s important for us that you notice matchmaking as little as possible. We don’t want people filling in a form or talking too much. We try to not show you the matchmaking so that when you walk into the DarkZone it’s completely seamless, there’s no wait, there’s no lobby, all of that is handled as you get close to the DarkZone. For the matchmaking, what we’ve ended up focusing on is the ping, experience, connection and focusing on as close to you as possible.”

News of demographic matchmaking being axed arrives on the heels of Ubisoft and Amazon Studios’ live-action short film, The Division: Agent Origins. To commemorate its launch, free DLC is available to those who redeem the code ‘AGENTORIGINS’ via Ubisoft’s official site when the shooter launches. It’ll unlock four sets of gear for the Paramedic, Firefighter, Police, and Hunter classes.

The Division is set for release across PS4, Xbox One and PC on March 8. Meanwhile, a closed beta for the shooter will hit PS4 later this month.

[Source: The Examiner]