‘The Division’ Servers Struggle As Ubisoft Confirms Login Problems

Despite running the biggest beta testing program for any game on current generation consoles, Ubisoft’s servers have struggled to cope with the huge interest in “Tom Clancy’s The Division,” with players around the world complaining of being unable to access the game.

Ahead of its launch, more than 6.4 million PC and PS4 players took part in an open beta version of “The Division” in a bid to iron out any kinks in the game. This was not enough, however, to prevent the servers hosting the open-world shooter from crashing on the day the game launched.

“The Division” went live at 12:01 a.m. EST on Tuesday but within an hour there were multiple complaints from PC players that Ubisoft’s UPlay gaming distribution platform was unable to cope and was not allowing players to log in — a big problem for an online shooter as it requires a constant connection in order to be playable.

Ubisoft had attempted to offset the expected surge in interest by launching the game in Australia and the U.K. ahead of the U.S. launch, but this was not enough with players complaining on Reddit, Twitter, Twitch and NeoGaf of being unable to even access the game.

Players unable to access the game are being presented with various error codes named after the letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Sierra, Romeo, etc.). One of the most common of these appear to be Mike, with Reddit users setting up a specific subreddit thread titled “f--- mike” to discuss the problem.

On Ubisoft’s own forum, the company acknowledged the problems players were encountering. “We’re currently aware of an issue impacting our games and services and we’re actively investigating to deploy a solution as quickly as possible.”

The company updated its message at 2 a.m. EST Tuesday to say all services have resumed normal operation on all platforms. However, this is at odds with reports on Twitter, which continue to show that players were unable to access the game.

“The Division” follows a team of government agents trying to restore order in New York City after a devastating disease outbreak that was deliberately spread through currency on Black Friday. Players can complete a solo campaign mode or seamlessly engage in a multiplayer experience known as the Dark Zone. Within the Dark Zone, players can partner up and conduct raids to receive upgraded loot, but there’s no guarantee other players will not turn traitorous within the Dark Zone. If one player kills another, they turn "Rogue." That ranking has its own consequences and potential perks.