A Week After Saying The Division 3 Was ‘Shaping Up to Be a Monster,’ Franchise Boss Julian Gerighty Leaves Ubisoft for Battlefield Developer DICE

Julian Gerighty, boss of The Division franchise at Ubisoft, has left the company to join Battlefield developer DICE.

Gerighty confirmed his departure in a social media post just a week after appearing on a video game showcase livestream to promote The Division 3.

Speaking during the New Game+ Showcase 2026 earlier this month, Gerighty said: “So, The Division 3 is in production, right? This is not a secret. It’s been announced. It’s shaping up to be a monster. I can’t really say anything more than that. But this is, within these walls in Massive, we are working extremely hard on something that I think will be as big an impact as Division 1 was.”

He then went on to enthuse about other The Division projects in the works at Massive Entertainment, which he has now left for fellow Swedish studio DICE.

“It’s time for me to hang up my go bag (keeping the watch) as I go on another grand adventure,” Gerighty said. “The Division future burns bright, and I can’t wait for you to discover what the teams have been working on. Long live The Division and Godspeed!”

Two months ago, Massive Entertainment introduced what it called a “voluntary career transition program,” (the studio asked its staff to volunteer to be laid off) as part of a move to focus on The Division franchise and its Snowdrop game engine. It came as part of significant restructuring at Ubisoft that has seen multiple studio closures and rounds of layoffs. Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws, released in 2024, was a big sales disappointment for Ubisoft, despite significant development and marketing costs. Julian Gerighty was Outlaws’ co-director.

Then, earlier this week, Ubisoft announced that it expected 55 jobs to be impacted by layoffs at Massive and fellow Swedish outfit Ubisoft Stockholm because its voluntary redundancy scheme did not achieve as many leavers as necessary for Ubisoft’s plans to reduce headcount. Ubisoft announced The Division 3 over two years ago, and it has yet to show off the game.

In a social media post, Massive Entertainment told The Division fans not to worry about Gerighty’s departure, saying the teams who built The Division with him remain.

https://twitter.com/UbiMassive/status/2012157010784186856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

As for Battlefield, EA recently delayed Battlefield 6 Season 2 to tackle fan feedback.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.