Watch Dogs
Open-world hacker franchise set in fictionalized real cities.
Watch Dogs is an action-adventure video game series from Ubisoft, built primarily by its Montreal and Toronto studios with the Disrupt engine. The franchise kicked off with the first game in 2014, then added Watch Dogs 2 in 2016 and Watch Dogs: Legion in 2020. Beyond the games, there are tie-in novels, comic miniseries, and a live-action film in the works, all set in the same fictional world.
Gameplay takes place in open worlds where players push a main story forward through missions and can also tackle side activities. Driving, shooting, and stealth are the core mechanics, with some role-playing and puzzle elements mixed in. Each game is set in a fictionalized version of a real city at a specific time, following a different hacker protagonist who, despite unique goals, gets tangled up with local criminal underworlds. The villains are usually corrupt companies, crime bosses, or rival hackers who exploit ctOS—a fictional network that links every electronic device in a city into one system and stores personal data on most citizens. Players can use ctOS to control devices for combat, stealth, or puzzle-solving.
The series earned generally positive reviews for its gameplay, mission design, and world-building, though technical issues drew criticism, and the stories and characters got mixed reactions. Financially, it succeeded: the first two games sold over 20 million units combined.
**Watch Dogs (2014)** The first game takes place in a fictionalized Chicago in 2013. Players control Aiden Pearce, a gray-hat hacker and vigilante out for revenge after his niece is killed. Development started in 2009 with a $68 million budget. It grew out of a potential *Driver* sequel that Ubisoft Montreal had been working on alongside *Driver: San Francisco* at Ubisoft Reflections (released in 2011). When *Driver: San Francisco* didn't sell well, the Montreal project was reworked into a hacking-focused game that kept driving elements. Ubisoft Montreal led development, with help from Ubisoft Reflections, Paris, Quebec, and Bucharest. The game generated huge buzz after its E3 2012 gameplay reveal, but the final version faced controversy over claims of graphical downgrades. It launched in May 2014 for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, with a Wii U version following in November 2014. DLC called *Watch Dogs: Bad Blood* arrived in September 2014, starrin
- First Release
- 2014
- Developer
- Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- Disrupt
- Genre
- Action-adventure, open world
- Total Games
- 3 main titles
- Lifetime Sales (first two games)
- Over 20 million units
Lore & Background
The Watch Dogs series is set in fictionalized versions of real-life cities, each featuring ctOS (central Operating System), a fictional computing network that connects every electronic device in a city into a single system and stores personal information on most citizens. Players control different hacker protagonists who become involved with criminal underworlds while pursuing their own goals. Antagonists include corrupt companies, crime bosses, and rival hackers who exploit ctOS. The player also accesses ctOS to control devices for combat, stealth, or puzzle-solving.
The first game, Watch Dogs (2014), follows gray hat hacker and vigilante Aiden Pearce in a fictionalized Chicago metropolitan area in 2013, seeking revenge after his niece's killing. Its development began in 2009 with a $68 million budget, derived from a potential Driver sequel. The game was heavily anticipated after its E3 2012 gameplay reveal, though the final version faced controversy over alleged graphical downgrading. Watch Dogs 2 (2016) is set in a fictionalized San Francisco Bay Area in 2016, following hacker Marcus Holloway, who joins DedSec to expose corruption by Blume Corporation. Watch Dogs: Legion (2020) takes place in a futuristic, dystopian London, where DedSec clears its name after being framed for terrorist bombings and liberates the city from the private military company Albion.
Reader's Guide
The Watch Dogs franchise has received generally positive reviews for its gameplay elements, mission structure, and world design, with criticism for frequent technical issues, while narratives and characters have garnered mixed reactions. Financially, the series has been successful, with lifetime sales for the first two games exceeding 20 million units in total. The games are known for their open-world sandbox gameplay combining driving, shooting, stealth, role-playing, and puzzle elements, with hacking as a core mechanic. The series introduced innovations such as the multiple playable characters system in Legion, where virtually any NPC can be recruited, each with unique skills and optional permadeath. The franchise has expanded beyond games into novels, comic miniseries, and an upcoming live-action film. Its legacy includes influencing the open-world genre with its focus on hacking and surveillance themes, though technical issues and mixed storytelling have been recurring points of criticism.
Did You Know?
- The first Watch Dogs game was derived from a potential sequel to the Driver series.
- Watch Dogs: Legion allows players to recruit virtually any NPC in its open world, each with unique skills.
- The series' first two games sold over 20 million units in total.
- Watch Dogs: Legion features a non-canonical crossover with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise.
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