The Division executive producer leaves the series to join Battlefield 6 devs at EA — Ubisoft says "don't worry" to players

Tom Clancy's The Division — Ubisoft's popular open-world, third-person RPG shooter — just lost one of its lead directors and producers to Electronic Arts (EA) and Battlefield 6. The developer in question is Julian Gerighty, who's helped steer development of the franchise since its creation. He also directed the action-adventure title Star Wars Outlaws.

Gerighty and Ubisoft's The Division studio Massive Entertainment announced the news on Friday morning, with the team expressing appreciation and respect for Gerighty and his time at the developer while assuring fans that "Our teams who built this world with Julian are still here."

"While we'll miss him, his mark will live on at Massive and we'll continue to bring the world he's been part of creating to our players for years to come," the studio wrote. "For our players, don't worry, Agents. Our teams who built this world with Julian are still here, carrying it forward with an ambitious, unchanged commitment for the future with The Division 2, The Division 2: Survivors, The Division Resurgence and The Division 3."

Gerighty himself also made a post on his personal X (Twitter) account: "Agents! Quick update from the Base Of Operations: It's time for me to hang up my go bag (keeping the watch) as I go on another grand adventure. The Division future burns bright, and I can't wait for you to discover what the teams have been working on. Long live The Division and Godspeed!"

Notably, it's presently unclear what role Gerighty is assuming at Battlefield Studios, though part of Massive's announcement post suggests that he's joined the team at DICE specifically; DICE is the primary developer of Battlefield, and one of four teams at Battlefield Studios (the others being Criterion Games, Motive Studio, and Ripple Effect).

Gerighty's departure comes one week after he appeared at the New Game Plus Showcase to talk about The Division 2: Survivors and The Division 3. The former is a new expansion for The Division 2 coming later in 2026 that draws heavily from the Survival DLC of the first game, while the latter is the next mainline entry in the series first announced in 2023.

During the presentation, he confirmed that the sequel is in the works, and suggested that the game will be as impactful as the first The Division release was. With how influential the original game was for the popularity and design of co-op looter shooters, it stood out as a bold claim.

"So The Division 3 is in production, right? This is not a secret, it's been announced. It's shaping up to be a monster," he said in an interview. "I can't really say anything more than that, but this is — within these walls, in Massive, we are working extremely hard on something that I think will be [have] as big an impact as Division 1 was [had]."

For The Division fans, it's sad to see Gerighty leave Ubisoft, as he's been at the helm of the franchise since the very beginning, and has helped shape The Division 2 into what is arguably one of the best action RPG co-op shooters you can play right now across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation.

If you're all about Battlefield, though, Gerighty enlisting in Battlefield Studios' ranks is exciting news. While Battlefield 6 was the best-selling game of 2025, its player retention has fallen off sharply in the last few months, with the devs delaying Season 2 to make sure it launches well and sticks the landing. With more experienced senior talent like Gerighty, hopefully Battlefield Studios can turn things around.

Are you sad to see Gerighty depart Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment, and The Division? Or are you excited to see what he does with EA and Battlefield Studios? Perhaps you're feeling mixed? Let me know in the comments.

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