'The Division' Beta Is Delayed To 2016 But An Xbox One Closed Alpha Is Happening December 9-12

Beta-testing is an important part of game development, so much that some gamers may find it disconcerting if an upcoming game has announced that its beta (whether closed or open) will be delayed. That may be the case for one of the most anticipated games of 2016, "The Division," as Ubisoft announced that the closed beta, which was scheduled to begin in December, has been moved to sometime early 2016.

According to a Tech Times report, this piece of bad news however was accompanied by good news as Ubisoft also announced that they will be conducting a closed alpha for the Xbox One, where a select group of Xbox One owners will be able to play an alpha version of the game.

In a blog post, Ubisoft described the event as "an exclusive Xbox One alpha testing phase" where players will get their hands on the game, which is said to include "more than the 'Dark Zone' PvP enabled areas" of the game. They also wrote: "This means the moment you and other players sign into the game, you'll be giving us valuable insight into how our infrastructure performs under pressure that we can't replicate internally or at a tradeshow. This process allows us to monitor and gather additional feedback on other aspects of The Division[,] as well."

The closed alpha will kick off on December 9 and will last until December 12. Those who are accepted into the alpha are under non-disclosure agreements that prevent them from sharing their gameplay experience through blogs, videos and the like.

Players who pre-ordered the game for the Xbox One are the ones qualified to take part in the alpha test. According to the same Tech Times report, the alpha requires a lot of space because of the 23.2 GB download. Those who pre-ordered the game for other platforms will get a chance to participate in the closed beta when it happens in 2016.

The game is set to be released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on March 8, 2016, granted no delays will happen.