The Epic Games store has secured its first major partnership as it will carry Ubisoft’s The Division 2 on PC when it launches March 15. Besides THQ Nordic’s Darksiders 3, the Epic Games store has largely hosted smaller indie titles since its launch in December. Now, Epic has secured one of the biggest spring releases, as The Division 2 will not be available on Steam.
Multiple editions are available now to pre-order from the Epic Games store, including the Ultimate, Gold, and standard. Those who pre-order any edition from the store will gain access to the private beta, expected sometime in January or February.
The Gold edition ($100) comes with three days early access to the game and the Year 1 Pass. The Year 1 Pass grants you early access to the upcoming DLC packs — which will be free for all players — and a bunch of in-game items and activities. The Ultimate edition ($120) comes with all of the Gold edition content as well as three additional weapons and outfits packs.
“As long-time fans and partners of Ubisoft, we’re thrilled to bring a range of awesome Ubisoft games to the Epic Games store,” Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement. He reiterated Epic’s devotion to making the Epic Games store the ideal destination for publishers, developers, and consumers. “We aim to provide the most publisher-friendly store, providing direct access to customers and an 88 percent revenue split, enabling game creators to further reinvest in building great games.”
In announcing the partnership, Ubisoft Vice President of Partnerships Chris Early said, “We entrust Epic to deliver a smooth journey for our fans, from pre-ordering the game and enjoying our beta to the launch of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on March 15. Epic continues to disrupt the videogame industry, and their third-party digital distribution model is the latest example, and something Ubisoft wants to support.”
The Division 2 will be the first Ubisoft title to arrive on the Epic Games store, but it won’t be the only one. Ubisoft and Epic promised that “additional select titles” will be made available on the Epic Games store in the future.
While a few indie studios have forgone Steam in favor of the Epic Games store, Ubisoft is the first major studio to abandon Steam for the Epic Games store. If Epic can bring more AAA studios into the fold, its new storefront will be a major threat to Steam’s PC gaming dominance.
