Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs (stylized as WATCH_DOGS) is a series of action-adventure games developed and published by Ubisoft. It spans three games: Watch Dogs (2014), Watch Dogs 2 (2016) and Watch Dogs: Legion (2020).

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see Watch Dogs (video game). For other uses, see Watchdog.
Watch Dogs
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Platform(s)
First releaseWatch Dogs
27 May 2014
Latest releaseWatch Dogs: Legion
29 October 2020

Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving, shooting, and stealth, with occasional role-playing and puzzle elements. The games in the Watch Dogs series are set in fictionalized versions of real-life cities: Chicago, San Francisco, and London. The series centers on different hacker protagonists who, while having different goals to achieve, find themselves involved with the criminal underworld of their respective cities. The antagonists are usually corrupt companies, crime bosses, and rival hackers who take advantage of ctOS (central Operating System), a fictional computing network that connects every electronic device in a city together into a single system and stores personal information on most citizens. The player also has access to ctOS, which can be used to control various devices to assist them in combat or solving puzzles.

The games in the Watch Dogs series have performed well both financially and critically. Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 sold over 10 million units each.[1]

Games
Release timeline
2014Watch Dogs
2015
2016Watch Dogs 2
2017
2018
2019
2020Watch Dogs: Legion

Watch Dogs (2014)
Main article: Watch Dogs (video game)

Set within a fictionalized version of the Chicagoland area in 2013, the first installment in the series follows gray hat hacker and vigilante Aiden Pearce's quest for revenge after the killing of his niece. The game's development began in 2009, with a budget of $68 million.[2][3] Ubisoft Montreal was the game's lead developer, with additional support provided by Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Quebec, and Ubisoft Bucharest.[4] The game was heavily anticipated following its gameplay reveal at E3 2012, though the final game, which was accused of graphical downgrading, triggered controversy.[5] The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in May 2014, and a Wii U version was released in November 2014.[6] The game received generally positive reviews despite criticism aimed at certain technical issues, the discrepancy in graphical quality between marketing and the real game, narrative, and protagonist. It sold more than 10 million copies by the end of 2014.[7][8]

Downloadable content (DLC) for the game, titled Watch Dogs: Bad Blood, was released in September 2014. Starring Raymond Kenney, a main character from the base game's story, as the playable protagonist, the DLC adds ten story missions, new "Street Sweep" contracts, as wells as new weapons, outfits, side missions, and an RC car.[9]

Watch Dogs 2 (2016)
Main article: Watch Dogs 2

Set within a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016, Watch Dogs 2 follows the story of hacker Marcus Holloway, who is punished for a crime he did not commit through ctOS 2.0, and joins the hacking group DedSec in their efforts to raise social awareness about the dangers posed by ctOS 2.0. and expose the corruption of its creators, the Blume company. This installment expanded upon the multiplayer options from the first game and introduced new weapons and gadgets. Unlike Watch Dogs, the game features a much more vibrant and optimistic tone.[10] The game was released in November 2016 for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[11] Ubisoft Montreal was the lead developer, with Ubisoft's studios in Toronto, Paris, Bucharest, Kiev and Newcastle assisting the development.[12] The game received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics generally regarding it as an improvement over the original game.[13] While the game struggled at launch commercially, more than 10 million units were sold by 2020.[14]

Five downloadable content packs for Watch Dogs 2 have been released: the "T-Bone Content Bundle", "Human Conditions", "No Compromise", "Root Access Bundle", and "Psychedelic Pack".[15][16] As per an exclusivity agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment, all DLCs were timed exclusives for PlayStation 4.[17]

  • Root Access Bundle (available in December 2016)[18] and Psychedelic Pack (available on launch day) feature a Zodiac Killer mission as well as new outfits, cars, skins, and weapons.[15][16]
  • The T-Bone Content Bundle was released for PlayStation 4 on December 22, 2016,[19] and includes a new co-op difficulty setting, "Mayhem", plus the clothes and truck of Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney.[15][16]
  • Human Conditions was released on February 21, 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and on March 23 for the Xbox One and PC,[20] and includes three new stories set in San Francisco's science and medicine industries. The pack also includes new co-op missions featuring a new enemy class called "the Jammer", a technologically savvy enemy capable of jamming all of a player's hacker equipment, making them vulnerable to head-on attacks.[15][16]
  • No Compromise was released on April 18, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and was launched on 18 May for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, featuring a new story mission, outfits and weapons.[21]

Watch Dogs: Legion (2020)
Main article: Watch Dogs: Legion

Set within a fictionalised representation of a future, dystopian London, Watch Dogs: Legion follows the local branch of DedSec's attempts to clear their names for a series of bombings they have been framed for, as well as liberate London's citizens from the control of Albion, an oppressive private military company, which turned the city into a surveillance state following the bombings.[22] The game introduces a multiple playable characters system, allowing players to recruit virtually any NPC found in the game's open world. Each playable character has their own unique skills and backgrounds, and can be lost permanently if players enable the option of permadeath before starting a new game. There are multiple ways to complete missions depending on which playable character is selected.[23] The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia on October 29, 2020; PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions were also made available once the consoles released.[24] Ubisoft Toronto led the game's development, with Clint Hocking serving as its creative director.[25] Legion received mixed reviews, with the multiple playable characters approach being the most polorazing among critics; some found it innovative, while others criticized the characters' lack of personality, poor voice acting, and the imbalance between abilities. The open world, driving, storyline, and inconsistent difficulty were also met with some criticism.

Ubisoft announced that a post-launch update on December 3 would add multiplayer to the game but has been delayed till early 2021. The company also unveiled a DLC pack titled Bloodline that would be released later in 2021, with season pass owners receiving the pack much earlier. The pack would incorporate a new mission storyline, and feature the appearances of four new characters who players can recruit into their roster, including original Watch Dogs protagonist Aiden Pearce; Wrench, a supporting character from Watch Dogs 2; Mina, a brand new character with the ability of mind control; and Darcy, a member of the Assassin Order, as part of a non-canonical crossover with the Assassin's Creed series. Additional abilities, characters and a New Game Plus mode, allowing players to retain progress and items obtained upon completing the game, would also be made available at a later date via an update.[26]

Common elements

Gameplay

The Watch Dogs series is part of a genre known as sandbox games. The series combines elements of action, adventure and vehicular gameplay. The player can freely roam the virtual world on foot or by use of vehicles and make use of an array of weapon and mêlée based combat. Illegal activity such as assaulting non-player character civilians and police officers will instigate a proactive and usually lethal response from authoritative figures. In the instance of death, the player will respawn near the area where they were killed.

In each game, the player assumes control of a hacker, who can hack into various electronic devices connected to the fictional ctOS system with their in-game smartphone.[27][28] While most of the abilities granted by ctOS are used to solve puzzles, the player can also use it in free roam at any given time to create chaos and entertain themselves, such as hacking into traffic lights or placing fake evidence against NPCs to have the police arrest them. In each game, the player can level up and unlock new abilities and gadgets. The games incorporate numerous stealth segments, where the player must try to avoid detection by enemies and take them out silently with non-lethal weapons; if the player fails to remain undetected, they may still attempt to kill all remaining enemies, though most times they will find themselves overwhelmed. In Watch Dogs 2, more weapons and hacker gadgets were introduced, such as a taser and a quadcopter.[29]

Setting

The Watch Dogs games takes place in fictionalized versions of real-life cities that have implemented ctOS. Watch Dogs is set Chicagoland, Watch Dogs 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Watch Dogs: Legion in London. While the first two games take place during modern times, Legion is set at some point in the "near future" (circa late-2020s/early-2030s), depicting significant advancements in technology and changes in the British society.

Other media

Ubisoft Motion Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and New Regency are rumored to plan a film adaptation of the series.[30][31] Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese will serve as its writers.[32]

References
  1. https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/71100/ubisoft-has-11-current-generation-titles-that-have-sold-10-million-copies/
  2. Cook, Dave (January 16, 2014). "Watch Dogs: pre-delay budget was $68 million, producer claims". VG247. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017.
  3. Dutton, Fred (May 16, 2013). "Watch_Dogs: Behind the scenes with 2013's rule-breaking action epic". PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  4. Brightman, James (May 15, 2014). "Watch Dogs becomes Ubisoft's most pre-ordered new IP". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014.
  5. Makuch, Eddie (March 7, 2014). "Watch Dogs visuals have not been downgraded, Ubisoft says". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014.
  6. Matulef, Jeffery (September 10, 2014). "Watch Dogs Wii U gets a November release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  7. "Watch Dogs PC". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018.
  8. Ubisoft (February 12, 2015). "Ubisoft® reports third quarter 2014-15 sales" (PDF).
  9. Devore, Jordan (September 3, 2014). "Watch Dogs: Bad Blood stars a different playable character". Destructoid. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  10. Hall, Matt (November 28, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 walkthrough: Guide and tips to everything you can do in the open-world sequel". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  11. Saed, Sherif (June 7, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 November release date and San Francisco setting confirmed". VG 247. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  12. van der Linde, Damon (June 8, 2016). "Ubisoft's Watch Dogs 2 looks at the sunnier side of Big Brother". National Post. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017.
  13. Webster, Andrew (November 14, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Is Exactly What The Original Game Should Have Been". The Verge. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  14. O'Connor, James (May 14, 2020). "Ubisoft Has 11 Games That Have Sold Over 10 Million Copies This Gen, And Some Are Surprising". GameSpot. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  15. Varanini, Giancarlo (November 2, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Season Pass Detailed". Ubisoft. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016.
  16. Conditt, Jessica (November 3, 2016). "The $40 Watch Dogs 2 Season Pass includes new stories, clothes". Engadget. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016.
  17. Kuchera, Ben (June 13, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 DLC to be exclusive to PlayStation 4 for 30 days". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 13, 2016.
  18. Shive, Chris (December 8, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Root Access Bundle Available Now". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017.
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  20. Nunneley, Stephany (February 17, 2017). "Watch Dogs 2 Human Conditions DLC adds five hours of content, video takes a look at two new missions". VG247. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017.
  21. Watters, Chris (April 18, 2017). "Watch Dogs 2 No Compromise DLC Available Now on PS4". Ubisoft. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017.
  22. Vincent, Brittany (July 12, 2020). "Watch Dogs: Legion lets you build your own team of hackers to save London". CNN. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  23. Sheridan, Connor (July 17, 2020). "Who would make the best Watch Dogs: Legion NPC?". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  24. Purslow, Matt (31 October 2019). "Watch Dogs Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Gods and Monsters Are Now Next-Generation PS5 and Xbox Scarlett Games". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  25. Higham, Michael (July 12, 2020). "Watch Dogs: Legion Director Clint Hocking On Embracing Its Political Themes". GameSpot. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  26. Nunneley, Stephanny (October 6, 2020). "Watch Dogs: Legion trailer focuses on story, post-release content detailed". VG 247. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
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  28. J. Seppala, Timothy (May 23, 2014). "The real-life hacking behind Watch Dogs' virtual world". Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  29. Hollister, Sean (November 14, 2016). "Watch Dogs 2: How real are the hacks in Ubisoft's techno-thriller?". CNET. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
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  32. Fleming Jr, Mike (April 24, 2014). "'Zombieland' Scribes Wernick & Reese To Script Ubisoft's 'Watch Dogs' For Sony & New Regency: Video". Deadline Hollywood.
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