Divisive though it may be, at 9 million copies shipped to retailers, Watch Dogs stands as one of Ubisoft’s most successful titles in its decorated 30-year history.
That inevitably leads to heightened expectations going into the launch of its immediate sequel, Watch Dogs 2. Set for release in November of this year, Ubisoft is aiming to address many of the well-rounded criticisms levelled at the original game – a trite, melodramatic story coupled with a wooden protagonist – to effectively win over those early adopters who felt burned by the 2014 release.
Going one step further, the mega-publisher is confident that it can replicate the sales success of its forebear, too, potentially going on to become of Ubisoft’s best-selling titles in history.
Speaking at an earnings call – as relayed by GameSpot – CEO Yves Guillemot was bullish in his forecast of Watch Dogs 2, claiming the sequel “has the potential to be one of Ubisoft’s best-selling games of all time.” His reasoning? Because in zeroing in on those improvements, the development team are aiming for “more seamless” online functionality and co-op, replete with an “engaging” protagonist – Marcus Holloway, in lieu of Aiden Pearce – thrust into San Francisco. Whether that translates to a successful launch will be revealed in a few months’ time.
Watch Dogs 2 scurries onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 15.