Encumbered by a seemingly inescapable level of hype and expectations – exacerbated by those scathing reports of visual downgrading – Watch Dogs faced an uphill battle from the get-go two years ago, though the general consensus revealed a spirited, yet disappointing experience.
Come November, Ubisoft will hope to right the wrongs of the original with Watch Dogs 2, a sequel that strips away much of the content found in the first game – the stoic protagonist, the Chicago setting – to allow for a relatively new experience.
Toss in a new and charismatic lead in the form of Marcus Holloway and it’s clear that Ubi is betting big with its soft reboot. What’s more, that desire to overhaul Watch Dogs stemmed from fan feedback, European boss Alain Corre told MCV (via PlayStation LifeStyle), as the mega-publisher looks to appease existing fans, all the while expanding the reach of its budding new franchise.
We’ve heard what our fans were saying, and we think we have ticked all the boxes to improve everything they wanted, plus we have brought some new innovation. The new character Marcus is very charismatic. You can hack anything you want and it is now twice as big as the previous one. It is also super colorful and nice to look at. More than 80 per cent of the original Watch Dogs players say they want to explore Watch Dogs 2, plus we will appeal to new fans.
Watch Dogs 2 will boot online come November 15.