At this year’s E3 Ubisoft announced a brand new project title Tom Clancy’s The Division. In development by Ubisoft Massive, the game is an online RPG with third-person shooter gameplay. It’s scheduled to launch for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sometime next year, and it definitely has a lot of potential to deliver a unique experience for fans of shooters. Throw in some truly promising tablet compatibility, and you’ve got a game that can possibly offer up something great for next-gen console owners come 2014.

The back story for The Division is quite brooding. Disease has spread on Black Friday (of all days), and the world quickly falls into disorder and disarray. New York is now a dystopian city, but all hope is not lost. Despite the fact that the world is on the verge of falling apart, humanity can still be restored. This goes right in line with the game’s tagline: “What will it take to save what remains?”

You can take on The Division alone or with other players, but Ubisoft has expressed that this game is much more suited for a multiplayer experience. The world is said to be constantly changing and was described as “dynamic but persistent” during my sit-in at Ubisoft’s presentation. There are no character classes, but you can gain XP and level up. Doing so grants you new abilities, and you can eventually obtain new items and weapons.

The shooting gameplay in The Division is largely cover-based. Structures, debris, and vehicles all act as means of protection as you take on enemies. These encounters seem like fairly standard shooter fare, but the destructiveness of the environments is pretty impressive. Procedural destruction helps make the world more realistic, so every bullet fired that doesn’t hit your foes will cause damage to the surrounding environment. This includes realistic effects to tires, windows, walls, and so on.

Online connectivity makes for some really cool moments in The Division. Aside from teaming up with other players for the greater good, you can also encounter hostile groups of players. These rivals are united for their own cause and are loyal to one another, which means your group is really just an obstacle. This online feature could make for some potentially great moments in The Division, and being able to come across enemy players out of nowhere is a good idea that could yield successful results.

Some live gameplay was showcased during my preview session and offered a closer look at the mobile functionality. Players using any type of smart device can connect to The Division and take on the role of a helpful (but not ridiculously powerful) drone character. The player using the smart device will see everything the other players see in real-time, so if a building collapses in the game, everyone will witness the chaos. It should be noted that this is not a SmartGlass-exclusive feature. Anyone with a smart device and an internet connection will be able to join in on a game, which is actually kind of intriguing and impressive.

Visually, The Division has a realistically pretty look to it. I mean, there’s nothing pretty about a crumbling city, but the game is still technically nice to witness. The physics make for some great explosive effects. Additionally, the lighting is just awesome to see and almost adds an aesthetic touch to the overall appearance of the game.

I’ve never really been into Tom Clancy titles, and I’m not even a fan of online games. Still, there was something really exciting about The Division. Ubisoft is clearly looking at next-gen hardware and licking its chops thanks to the possibilities of what can be created. One of the biggest reasons to be jazzed about the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is the arrival of new IPs. It’s still hard to tell what impact The Division will have on next-gen platforms, but it’s great to see new franchises and new gaming experiences like this already in the works and expected to launch by the end of 2014.

Follow this author on Twitter.