Ubisoft’s open-world hacking series has undergone a fairly major overhaul in time for the release of Watch Dogs 2. Gone is original protagonist Aiden Pearce, while the developer has swapped out the Windy City for the sun-kissed streets of San Francisco.
In Pearce’s steed, players will be assuming control of Marcus Holloway in a few days’ time, a disenfranchised youth who becomes drawn into an underground hacking ring known as DedSec, who fight to restore power to the people. That’s a premise that is placed front and center in today’s Watch Dogs 2 launch trailer, introducing you to the digital playground of San Francisco where practically everything and everyone can be hacked.
Much like its Orwellian predecessor, you’ll enjoy a healthy dose of freedom while controlling Marcus, giving you the ability to hack and manipulate certain aspects of the environment. However, the core story of Watch Dogs 2 is more concerned with “rampant corporate corruption and manipulation of the public,” and even from the footage above, fans will no doubt draw comparisons to USA Network’s Mr. Robot series.
Here’s the official overview:
After being wrongly profiled as a criminal risk by a citywide operating system, Marcus Holloway investigates to find rampant corporate corruption and manipulation of the public. Marcus and his group of hackers, DedSec, wage a war to take down the system and return power to the people.
Watch Dogs 2 is earmarked for launch across PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 15. Its $39.99 Season Pass, meanwhile, will bundle together four mission packs, gadget and character skins, a new co-op difficulty mode, and much, much more.