In news that should come as no surprise, Sony and Ubisoft are planning to adapt the upcoming video game Watch Dogs for the big screen. For those who don’t keep up with their gaming news, the highly-anticipated title is set to follow protagonist Aiden Pearce, “a brilliant hacker bent on revenge and inflicting his own brand of justice after a violent family tragedy.”
In conjunction with New Regency, Sony Pictures Entertainment is working with Ubisoft to develop a film based on the game, which isn’t even out yet actually. Watch Dogs doesn’t hit store shelves until November and when it does release, you’ll be able to pick it up on both current and next-gen consoles.
Obviously, there’s a lot of faith in this property, seeing that a film is already in development. Then again, buzz surrounding Ubisoft’s AAA title is tremendously positive and everything that we heard from E3 this year makes us think that the studio has another huge hit on their hands. So maybe there’s good reason for the early rush to turn it into a film.
I’ve been following Watch Dogs for a while now and it’s certainly one of my most anticipated games for the remainder of the year. It revolves around the intriguing idea of information warefare as you’ll be able to hack into Chicago’s Central Operating System, which will allow you to control almost all of the city’s infrastructure, including things like security cameras, public transportation and more. You’ll also be privy to a whole host of information on all of Chicago’s residents.
It certainly sounds like the open world game will be more than just your typical first person shooter or Grand Theft Auto clone. The premise/backdrop is brimming with originality and inventiveness and if executed properly, Watch Dogs could be an easy Game of the Year contender.
As for the film, well, video games that are turned into films usually result in something less than desirable but considering that Ubisoft is also behind the upcoming Assassin’s Creed film, which is actually shaping up to be pretty promising, I’ll hold out hope for this one.
Check out a recent Watch Dogs trailer below and let us know if you’re excited for the film.