adminJulian Gerighty leaves Massive Entertainment for a new role at DICE, marking a change in leadership for a familiar figure in The Division franchise. The 12-year studio veteran helped shape the series and its public identity, while Massive says experienced creative leaders remain in place to guide its ongoing projects.
Image credit: Ubisoft/Massive Entertainment
Julian Gerighty leaves Massive after leading The Division
Gerighty announced his departure in a social media post, describing it as the start of a new adventure. He also expressed confidence in the franchise’s future and said he was looking forward to players seeing what the teams have been developing.
Over the years, Gerighty served as Creative Director on both The Division and The Division 2. After working as Creative Director on Star Wars Outlaws, he became Executive Producer overseeing The Division franchise. He is now moving to EA’s Battlefield Studios and will take on an unspecified position at Swedish developer DICE.
Julian Gerighty | Image credit: Ubisoft
His departure comes as Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm face staff cuts. The reductions follow a voluntary redundancy process conducted the previous year, amid broader cost-cutting measures at Ubisoft. For players, a change in executive oversight does not necessarily mean an immediate change to announced projects; the studio has emphasized that its creative leadership and development teams continue to work on the series.
Who is guiding The Division’s future?
Massive Managing Director Thomas Andrén praised Gerighty’s contributions and described his move to DICE as an example of the connections between Swedish game studios. Andrén also said the franchise’s creative leadership remains strong, pointing to several veterans who continue to hold key roles.
- Yannick Banchereau continues as Creative Director on The Division 2.
- Mathias Karlson is Creative Director on The Division 3, which has not yet been formally revealed.
- Magnus Jansen, a 21-year studio veteran and one of the franchise’s original creative voices, has returned to lead development of The Division 2: Survivors, an upcoming extraction mode.
Gerighty recently said that The Division 3 would have an impact on a scale comparable to the first game. Since the project has not been formally unveiled, players should treat that comment as an indication of ambition rather than a detailed announcement about its features or release plans.
What the move means for Ubisoft
Ubisoft is expected to share more information about its restructuring into “Creative Houses” later this month. The company’s wider transformation has included job losses and project cancellations. Vantage Studios, the first Creative House, was announced last year and is partially owned by Tencent.
For now, the clearest update for fans is that Gerighty is leaving Massive for DICE, while established creative leads remain attached to The Division’s current projects. Following official studio announcements is the best way to separate confirmed development details from speculation, particularly for The Division 3 and The Division 2: Survivors.
