Ubisoft apologises for The Division 2 promo email joking about US government shutdown
Ubisoft has apologised for a marketing email promoting The Division 2's private beta.
Many of those subscribed to Ubisoft's newsletters received an email yesterday advertising the upcoming private beta for The Division 2.
The email - via Resetera - had the usual round-up of beta content, sign up pages, and pre-order links. Ubisoft, however, decided to use this as the email's subject line, "Come see what a real government shutdown looks like in the private beta."
The Division 2's story depicts a fallen, post-pandemic America. The White House acts as players' base of operation in a fight to restore order. The story also features a fictional United States President as one of its characters.
Needless to say, joking about the real-life government shutdown did not go down well with many. This prompted Ubisoft to send another email apologising for the joke, and saying it was sent in error.
"A marketing email promoting The Division 2 was sent in error today. This was a grave breakdown in process and we apologise for this error and the offensive subject line of the email.
"We recognise the very real impact of the United States government shut down on thousands of people and did not intend to make light of the situation," Ubisoft wrote in a followup email.
The Division 2 private beta kicks off next week. For a round-up of start times, eligibility, content and more, we have a dedicated private beta page ready to be explored.