This trailer for Ubisoft's upcoming open world multiplayer game Tom Clancy's The Division debuted over the weekend at the VGX game awards, but until a few hours ago it was still only viewable in GameTrailer's lacklustre player where the low bitrate really didn't do it justice.

Ubisoft has now released the video through other channels, including it's official Youtube page, where you can scrutinise its finer points in uncompromised 1080p. The publisher has also taken the time to write-up a detailed blog on the topic, explaining more of the intricacies and intentions of the team at Massive in their development what they call a "true next-gen engine" in Snowdrop.

In terms of innovation, the VGX trailer teased out a few tantalizing glimpses of next-gen features. First and foremost is the destruction system, which will be a key aspect the game’s tactical cover-based combat. “We developed a very visceral and accurate destruction experience using procedural techniques,” Massive says. “The destruction effect is not pre-baked in the game; it reacts differently depending on the physical forces at play.” That means when you see glass exploding or wood shattering, it not only looks different but it is different – and it all happens in real-time. So be prepared to plan out your cover (and your attacks) accordingly!

Also intriguing is the lighting system, which is inspired by film production techniques. “If we move one object in the game, the light in the environment will immediately react accordingly, thus obtaining the most realistic effect,” Massive says. This applies not just to the indoor and outdoor lighting, but to the time of day as well. While Massive is being tight-lipped on additional details, we can’t wait to see what this means in terms of gameplay. We can easily imagine the possibilities great lighting can add to the experience, and we suspect the ambitions here go far beyond the cinematic atmosphere it’ll lend to the game.

The Snowdrop engine also offers the team unprecedented speed and accuracy when building the city itself. And, perhaps most important of all, it’s completely dynamic and unified, meaning any change or feature developed in one area of the build will trigger the change throughout the entire game, ensuring a coherent experience not just for the development team at Massive but ultimately for the gamer as well.

No mention was made as to what platform the footage was captured from, so it's probably safe to assume that it's from a PC development build of the game, but the studio is clearly endeavoring to get this one looking hot on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well: “This new generation of consoles has opened many new opportunities to create more immersive and dynamic worlds, and enabled us to create the universe we had envisioned for The Division.”

Watch the trailer below, and click over to the ubi blog for more details.