This week in our Pixel Sundays article, we’re talking about the Watch Dogs series by Ubisoft. The franchise combines open-world gameplay with innovative hacking mechanics. You take on the role of hackers fighting against a surveillance state, manipulating the entire infrastructure of the cities.

Overview

• Development History – From Concept to Franchise
• Watch Dogs (2014) – The Beginning
• Watch Dogs 2 (2016) – A Fresh Take
• Watch Dogs: Legion (2020) – Anyone Can Be a Hero
• Gameplay Mechanics – Hacking at the Core
• Multiplayer and Online Features
• Future of the Series – What’s Next?
• Conclusion – A Series with Potential

The series includes three main titles, with hacking as the central focus. Expect open-world exploration and hacking elements as you pursue your own goals while also trying to reduce surveillance in the city and oppose the government system behind it.

Development History – From Concept to Franchise

Development of Watch Dogs started in 2009 with a small team of ten people at Ubisoft Montreal. Initially, the project was known under the working title “Nexus.” The core idea was to create a game where you could influence an entire city through hacking.

As development progressed, the project was renamed Watch Dogs. The name was chosen to reflect the protagonist’s role as a “watchdog” over the city’s digital networks. The game is set in Chicago because of its high density of surveillance cameras, making it an ideal location for a game focused on government control. The developers made multiple trips to Chicago to research the city, capturing both photos and audio. They also spoke with residents and local police to create an authentic environment.

Ubisoft developed a custom engine for Watch Dogs called the Disrupt Engine. It was initially made for the Driver series but was rebuilt from the ground up to meet Watch Dogs’ needs, especially for the complex hacking systems.

The goal was to make hacking feel as realistic as possible within a game. To achieve this, Ubisoft collaborated with Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. The game features the fictional operating system ctOS, inspired by SCADA systems.

Watch Dogs (2014) – The Beginning

The main character of the first game is Aiden Pearce, an Irish-American “Grey Hat” hacker. Born in Belfast and raised in Chicago, Aiden uses his hacking skills to breach the central operating system ctOS and manipulate the city. After his niece Lena is killed in an attack, he embarks on a personal vendetta to track down those responsible.

The game features a large open world, where you can control various city elements through ctOS—like traffic lights, surveillance cameras, bridges, and more. This allows you to outsmart enemies, create escape routes, and gather intel.

Upon release, Watch Dogs received mixed reviews. The innovative hacking features and the detailed recreation of Chicago were praised. However, the story was seen as cliched, and the protagonist lacked strong character development. On PC, technical issues caused performance problems.

Watch Dogs 2 (2016) – A Fresh Take

In Watch Dogs 2, you play as Marcus Holloway, a young African-American hacker from Oakland, California. He’s wrongly flagged as a criminal by the ctOS 2.0 system. Motivated by this injustice, he joins the DedSec hacker group in San Francisco. Together with his new allies, he fights back against surveillance and control by ctOS 2.0 and its developer Blume.

Compared to the first game, Marcus brings a more upbeat and humorous tone to the series. His character is portrayed as charismatic and socially active, making him easier to connect with. Developers worked closely with African-American consultants to ensure an authentic portrayal of Marcus.

Watch Dogs 2 also introduced several gameplay improvements. Hacking capabilities in San Francisco were further enhanced, and you gained access to new tools like a remote-controlled drone and RC car. These allow for creative, non-lethal approaches to completing missions.

The overall tone is lighter and more humorous than its predecessor. The story blends satire with social commentary on issues like privacy, surveillance, and corporate power. The open world of San Francisco is vibrant and full of activities that encourage experimentation.

The game was better received by critics than the original. It earned praise for its enhanced hacking mechanics, open-world design, and the charismatic protagonist. Its humorous style and mission variety also contributed to its positive reception.

However, some critics pointed out technical issues at launch and noted a disconnect between Marcus’s peaceful personality and the option to engage in violent gameplay.

Watch Dogs: Legion (2020) – Anyone Can Be a Hero

The latest game in the series is Watch Dogs: Legion. The game is set in a futuristic London, which is controlled by the private military company Albion. The city has suffered a series of terrorist attacks in the past, for which the hacker group DedSec was falsely blamed. As a result, Albion takes control of London and establishes an authoritarian regime where surveillance and oppression of the population are the norm. The citizens of London live under constant control, and their personal freedom is heavily restricted.

You play as DedSec and don’t have a fixed character, because a new feature in the game is the “Play as Anyone” mechanic. It allows you to recruit any NPC into DedSec and then take control of them. Each character has unique abilities and personality traits. However, many see this feature as a “Play as no one,” since there’s no main character and everyone feels like an empty shell. Still, the game itself isn’t bad. The gameplay is excellent and has improved on all functions from the previous game. You can hack and take over almost everything at the press of a button.

Gameplay Mechanics – Hacking at the Core

Hacking is of course the most important element in Watch Dogs. You use your smartphone to hack the city’s infrastructure. This includes traffic lights, surveillance cameras, and power grids. With the hacking mechanic, you can strategically use the environment. This allows you to outsmart enemies without killing them or to create escape routes. In Watch Dogs 2, the hacking system was expanded so you can control every electronic device in the game world. This includes cars, NPCs’ personal devices like smartphones, and many more. It allows you to solve missions in even more creative ways.

The combat system combines guns, melee combat, and stealth elements. You can freely decide whether to kill your enemies or take a non-lethal approach. In Watch Dogs 2, for example, you can use a taser to stun enemies or use an improvised melee weapon. This means you can complete missions entirely without lethal violence.

In the Watch Dogs series, you can move around in many ways. You can use a wide range of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and boats. There’s also a parkour system that was improved in Watch Dogs 2. With it, you can overcome obstacles by climbing and moving dynamically through the environment.

Multiplayer and Online Features

Watch Dogs 2 introduced a co-op mode. It allows two players to explore the open world together and play special co-op missions. These missions are randomly generated and offer varied objectives. For example, you might have to hack servers or eliminate special enemies. The main story, unfortunately, is not playable in co-op.

Watch Dogs: Legion expanded this co-op mode to up to four players. You can explore futuristic London with your friends, complete co-op missions, and take part in more complex “Tactical Ops” that require a high level of team coordination. There are also activities like the “Spiderbot Arena,” where you can compete against each other.

In addition to the co-op modes, there are also several PvP modes. These have been available since Watch Dogs 2:

• Hacking Invasion: In this mode, one player infiltrates another’s session and tries to steal data without being discovered. The defending player must identify and eliminate the intruder.

• Bounty Hunter: When a player causes a lot of chaos, a bounty is placed on them. Other players can then join the session and try to kill them. However, the hunted player can also receive help from others.

• Showd0wn: A 2v2 mode where two teams compete in short missions, such as stealing data or hacking servers.

• Racing: You compete in races with drones, e-karts, boats, or motorcycles.

In Watch Dogs: Legion, the PvP mode “Invasion” was added later. Players can hack each other. However, the online component was perceived by some as less dynamic compared to Watch Dogs 2.

The Future of the Series – What’s Next?

So far, there have been no official announcements from Ubisoft regarding a new Watch Dogs game. After the release of Watch Dogs: Legion in 2020 and its expansion Bloodline in 2021, Ubisoft has not announced any further games in the series. The sales figures for Watch Dogs: Legion were unfortunately below expectations, so it’s quite possible that no new game in the series will appear.

Nevertheless, the Watch Dogs brand remains active. In 2024, development began on a new production within the Watch Dogs franchise – a Watch Dogs film. The lead actors will be Sophie Wilde and Tom Blyth, and the film is set to release in 2026. It will tell a standalone story in the Watch Dogs universe, which may bring in many new fans and potentially lead to a new game in the future.

Conclusion – A Series with Potential

Watch Dogs is a franchise that has always put hacking at the forefront of gameplay. Over three titles, the game evolved from a revenge plot in Chicago to a social satire in futuristic London. Yet the central element remained hacking – a mechanic that not only offered creative gameplay opportunities but also served as a commentary on our digital present.

Even though emotional attachment to the characters varied from title to title and there were recurring technical issues, the franchise has repeatedly shown that it can deliver fresh ideas and execute them well. While the future of the gaming franchise is uncertain, Watch Dogs remains an exciting example of how games can reflect and question our technological reality.

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