Game critics will not be able to review The Division until after its servers go live on release day, publisher Ubisoft has confirmed.

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　　The corporation said it would be more beneficial for reporters and reviewers to assess the MMO in a live environment, as opposed to a simulated one. It has told fans to not expect reviews of the game until after release date, which is March 8.

　　Such a practice is becoming common as triple-A games hinge more of their features on network connections. Bungie, for example, did not provide the press with review opportunities for Destiny prior to its release. However, other online-centric games, such as Titanfall and Battlefield 4, were assessed by media in controlled environments prior to release.

　　Writing on the Ubisoft blog, the corporation explained: "The Division was always designed to be a seamless online experience, giving players the option to play solo or group with fellow agents to tackle missions and infiltrate the Dark Zone as a squad.

　　"Since it’s impossible for us to populate the servers in a way that would adequately replicate playing The Division on launch day, reviewers will start playing the game along with everyone else when it’s released on March 8--after the servers go live officially and globally at 00:01AM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)."

　　Meanwhile, players are now able to pre-loading The Division on Xbox One and PC from Thursday (March 3, 9 AM Pacific), and Sunday (March 6) on PlayStation 4.

　　The Division's recently concluded open beta attracted 6.4 million players across PC, PS4, and Xbox One, representing a new record for a new IP's beta on new-generation consoles.

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