Gaming: Division 2 bares Black Tusks; Fortnite’s Marshmello millions; Pokemon Go! switches sides

When the reportedly 40-hour main campaign ends in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, what are you gonna do next? Postgame replay value was a topic that frustrated some fans of the original Division back in 2016, so Ubisoft is making sure this time around to let players know they’re treating the endgame of the The Division 2’s campaign mode as more of a beginning.

The new endgame trailer for The Division 2 shows off the Black Tusk, the well-organized enemy faction who’ll be sweeping in right at the end, to undo all the hard work you’ve just completed to claim Washington, D.C. for the good guys. Clad in Power Armor-style gear that looks more than a little Fallout 3 familiar against the backdrop of those famous capital-city landmarks, the Black Tusk are next-level aggressive — and they'll put a serious dent in your territorial map if you don’t stop them.

Adding to the postgame mayhem are the three unlockable specialties — Sharpshooter, Survivalist, and Demolitionist — that become available only once you’ve reached the level cap. While sharpshooters specialize in sniper rifles (what else?), survivalists get kitted out with cool-looking crossbows, and demolitionists get — wait for it…grenade launchers.

The open beta for The Division 2 arrives on March 1, with the full game descending onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC beginning March 15.

In what may be a signal that we'll soon be seeing lots, lots more real-world event crossovers in gaming, Fortnite's in-game concert with DJ Marshmello turned out to be a rager — and without all the moutains of after-party trash.

Variety reports that Fortnite’s feel-good February come-together drew 10.7 million players, setting a record for the number of concurrent logged-on Fortnite members by approximately 2.5 million over the previous record of 8.3 million, set back in November. 

Fortnite doesn’t appear ready to simply relinquish all the event buzz to new entries into the free-to-play battle royale space (like Apex Legends), either. The upcoming Fortnite World Cup will put more than just V-Bucks in the pockets of the players who come out on top, with $1 million in weekly winnings up for grabs leading up to the event’s final round in New York, where the overall winner has a shot at taking home a cool $3 million. 

Qualifying rounds begin on April 13 and run through June 16 ahead of the main event in New York. To learn more about how to get a shot at the more than $100 million in prize money that’ll be on the line this spring, check out Epic Games’ Fortnite World Cup landing page.

Finally, if you’ve had buyer’s remorse about which team you picked ever since you first started playing Pokémon Go, developer Niantic has finally crafted an antidote that’ll give you a second chance.

Starting this month, Go will introduce a new Team Medallion item (at a cost of 1,000 coins) that’ll let you realign your affiliation with Team Valor, Team Instinct, or Team Mystic. You’ll still want to think carefully about your choice though, because once you’ve switched sides, it’ll be a full year before you have the chance to switch things up again. 

The Team Medallion will become available starting Feb. 26. To get the full details on how it all works, check out Niantic’s announcement over at the Pokémon Go blog.