This Week At Ubisoft: The Division 2 Gets New Content, Rainbow Six Extraction’s Nightmare Fog Live Now, and More

From new seasons and events to employee spotlights, here's all the Ubisoft news from May 7-13:

The Division 2 Gets New Content With Season 9: Hidden Alliance

On May 12, The Division 2 launched the game's first new content in over a year, including Season 9: Hidden Alliance. The first of three seasons scheduled for 2022, Hidden Alliance adds new Manhunts, new weapons and gear, and a new feature that allows players to improve weapons with use. Title Update 15 also introduces Countdown, a challenging new co-op mode for up to eight players. The Division 2 is hosting a free weekend May 13-15 on Xbox X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Stadia, Amazon Luna, and PC, making now the perfect time for new players to dive in.

How The Division 2 Bounced Back With New Content for Season 9

When The Division 2: Warlords of New York launched in March 2020, the development team planned to make one more year of content before quietly sunsetting the game - only to reverse course and launch Season 9: Hidden Alliance on May 12. Creative Director Yannick Banchereau sat down with Ubisoft News to talk about those original plans, how the fans helped pull the game out of sunset mode, and how the team at Ubisoft rose to the challenge of producing new content.

Rainbow Six Extraction - Nightmare Fog Crisis Event Available Now

A noxious purple haze has enshrouded the REACT zone, and players will need to keep their wits about them to determine what's a hallucination, and what's an Archaean trying to kill them. Rainbow Six Extraction's second Crisis Event, Nightmare Fog, is live now until June 2, and it's not just bringing a new threat to the game - players can also unlock new REACT tech and take advantage of the new Prestige level system for Operators.

The Crew 2 Season 5 Episode 2: American Legends Out Now

New content for The Crew 2 continues with Season 5 Episode 2: American Legends, which takes players on a ride deep into American automotive folklore. The new Episode brings a new Motorpass, complete with 50 tiers of exclusive rewards, and new Stories inspired by the automotive industry from the late '60s to the late '80s.

Rabbids: Party of Legends Announced

The Rabbids have returned for an all-new, family-friendly multiplayer party game. After a ride in their washing machine goes awry, the Rabbids find themselves in a strange new world, filled with a colorful cast of characters and 50 minigames in a story inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." Can the Rabbids retrace their steps and find their way home once more?

Women of Ubisoft - Myriam Forbes

Myriam Forbes, Ubisoft Massive's localization project manager working on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is fascinated by the intersection of cultures. In this exclusive Ubisoft News interview, Forbes describes what localization work is, her storied experience with languages, and how her passions led her to working in the gaming industry.

Ubisoft Names Marie-Sophie de Waubert Senior Vice President of Studios Operations

After over 20 years at Ubisoft, most recently as the Managing Director of Ubisoft Paris, Marie-Sophie de Waubert has been appointed Senior Vice President of Studios Operations. In her new role, de Waubert will lead all of Ubisoft's AAA production studios worldwide, implementing strategy and empowering innovative games and technologies.

Ubisoft Da Nang Studio Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary

Starting a game studio is daunting under normal circumstances, but starting one during a global pandemic seems like a Herculean task. That didn't stop Aurelian Palasse, managing director of Ubisoft Da Nang, who was on a mission to produce games made in the Vietnamese studio. In this interview, Palasse discusses the challenges of launching a studio during the height of COVID-19, what the team has accomplished over the past two years, and what's in store for the future of Ubisoft Da Nang.

How Rainbow Six Extraction's Operators Change the Game

With the ever-evolving Archaean threat, picking the right Operator is crucial for any Rainbow Six Extraction player. So how did the development team decide which REACT agents would be ideal for this new game? Lead Scriptwriter Linda Nguyen and Lead Game Designer Andrea Zanini sat down with Ubisoft News to discuss adapting Operators for the PvE experience, and how the Archaean invasion has impacted the lore of some of these characters.

Ubisoft's Tactical Upgrades in Tom Clancy Games

From Rainbow Six to The Division to Ghost Recon, the Tom Clancy games are known for their tactical gameplay, with a reliance on stealth and strategy that sets these titles apart from others in the shooter genre. Players can experience this rich history for themselves at a discount from now through May 11, with up to 80% off select Tom Clancy titles in the Ubisoft Store.

Rainbow Six Charlotte Major Update

On May 12, Ubisoft announced the Rainbow Six Charlotte Major, one of the biggest international events in the league, is set to kick off on May 16 and run until May 22. During that week, the top 16 teams from the Asia-Pacific, European, North American, and Latin American regions will compete for the title, prize money, and points towards their Global Standings in the Six Invitational 2023. Fans of the esport can visit http://rainbow6.com/live to watch the event.

Ubisoft+ Spotlight: The Division 2

(Editorial note - This is a new series of quick weekly highlights written by our News team writers that feature games available with a Ubisoft+ subscription. We hope you'll enjoy reminiscing with us, or perhaps discover something new.)

Brittany Spurlin, Writer/Editor: Given the recent news of its resurrection, The Division 2 feels like an obvious choice for this week's Ubisoft+ spotlight. A continuation of the story set up in The Division, The Division 2 puts players in a world ravaged by Green Poison as Agents attempt to rescue a potential cure from the hands of enemy factions. But it's not only the story that makes this game so memorable and beloved by its community - it's the detailed open-world setting that transports the player into a realistic Washington DC, as well as the updated game mechanics that make The Division 2 much more accessible to players. The game is an excellent marriage of open-world and shooter gameplay, providing hours of missions and exploration to complete. The Division 2 is available in the Ubisoft Store, or with a Ubisoft+ subscription.

Game Updates

Rainbow Six Siege released patch notes Y7S1.3 on May 10, fixing several bugs within the game. A few changes are highlighted below, but you can read the full update here.

• Blackbeard's mounted shield can no longer block Stun Grenades

• Defender gadgets no longer indestructible after Operator is downed or killed

• Operator Portraits are equippable after purchasing

Rainbow Six Extraction also launched an update to coincide with Nightmare Fog, bringing the Crisis Event, new Prestige system, and REACT tech to the game, as well as several gameplay improvements. The Nightmare Fog event is detailed above, and you can check out the full list of patch notes here.

The Division 2's long-awaited Title Update 15 went live May 11 alongside the Hidden Alliance launch, ushering in all of the new content detailed at the top of this article. The update also implemented gameplay and design adjustments to The Division 2 - find the full list of updates here.