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 at one point in development, The Division was a World of Warcraft style MMORPG with a hotbar and dog companion, before transforming into the game we know today.

In a video published on the Massive Entertainment YouTube channel, creative director Drew Rechner and game director Fredrik Thyland played through the game as part of a celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary. The video, titled ‘Cleaning the Broadway Emporium in The Division – Devs Playing | Episode 5’, is filled with retrospection on the game’s development.

In the opening minutes of this video, the pair recollect on an earlier version of the game, in which the player character was able to use abilities present on a traditional MMO-style hotbar. During this, a brief look at this build is shown on screen, showing what the game looked like, which you can see below.

Describing the core gameplay loop of the Division – dubbed observe, plan, execute or OPE – the pair speak about how the team at Massive Entertainment reached the gameplay present in the game at launch.

“When we had started working on The Division, it was still an MMO with, like, World of Warcraft-style gameplay,” said Rechner. “That skill component wasn’t there. There weren’t those traditional shooter aspects. We were constantly trying to balance how much shooter was there, how much skill was there, and we eventually came upon this.”

Around the time The Division was being developed – some time before 2016 – there weren’t a huge number of MMORPGs who attempted this blend of hotbar style MMO gameplay with more mainstream shooting flair. The closest example is probably Defiance, a sci-fi MMOTPS which launched in 2013 and sadly didn’t get the momentum needed for long-term success. This wasn’t a particularly bountiful time for new MMOs in general, with other releases like Wildstar meeting similar ends.

The Division would go on to do mighty well, breaking records for initial sales of a new series, beating out even Destiny for the crown back in 2016. The game recently got a definitive edition to celebrate its anniversary, while The Division 3 is currently in development.