Totally apolitical Ubisoft franchise (not that one, nor the other one; no, the other, other one) set to receive an RPG adaptation

Arkhane Asylum has announced that it’s developing and publishing an RPG based on Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division video game franchise. The French company is chiefly known for producing French-language versions of a number of RPGs, working with publishers such as Free League Publishing, R. Talsorian Games, and Modiphius Entertainment, although it also publishes the English RPG, GODS. Tom Clancy’s The Division is an online shooter video game franchise initially released in 2016 and only loosely inspired by the military-science and espionage novels of the late, titular author. The game was a huge success, breaking several sales records, and a sequel, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, was released in 2019. A third game in the franchise, Tom Clancy’s The Division 3 has been confirmed to be in development, and a mobile spin-off Tom Clancy’s The Division Resurgence, is set for release later this month. A crowdfunding campaign for Tom Clancy’s The Division The Roleplaying Game will launch on Kickstarter in June.

Licensed RPGS have been a hot topic at Rascal of late, with Thomas’ License to Kill column inspiring some in-depth discussions on the always deadly serious Rascal Radio Hour podcast. As is often the case with these games, the first question that springs to mind is “why?” The Division is a successful franchise, but is there an audience of fans who are also tabletop roleplayers? Why The Division and not Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six? What makes The Division The Roleplaying Game worth playing instead of adapting a similar game you’re already familiar with?

Or, perhaps most importantly, who the fuck thought this was a good idea in the currrent political climate?