Ubisoft has announced that filming on the first-ever Watch Dogs movie has now finished. However, the thing that's taken most people by surprise with this announcement is that there's a Watch Dogs movie in the works at all.

With filming wrapped, the production will move on to editing a final cut that should make it into cinemas and onto streaming services, but there's no indication of what that looks like. The plot of Watch Dogs has been closely guarded since the movie was announced, and nothing leaked after filming began earlier this year. For many, it's hard even to believe that Ubisoft is investing in a movie when it seems to care very little about the games after launching Watch Dogs: Legion.

What's it about?

Fans in the replies to Ubisoft's news are asking the exact same question most of us are. "Based on the first gameā€™s plot?" Unfortunately, no clarification has been provided. Our only concrete information is from an article on Ubisoft's website in June 2024. It states that the movie will be an original story that takes place within the Watch Dogs universe.

This sounds very much like Ubisoft has had director Mathieu Turi and screenwriter Christie LeBlanc, who also worked on Netflix's Oxygen, craft a story that captures what the Watch Dogs franchise is while being an original narrative in its own right.

The first Watch Dogs takes place entirely in Chicago and sees protagonist Aiden Pearce take on the company that's established itself as a veritable big brother and all the shady groups working within the s?ystem for their own nefar??ious desires.

In Watch Dogs 2, Marcus Holloway works with DedSec to execute the biggest hack in history in San Fransisco. Watch Dogs: Legion is the bleakest but most compelling setting, a post-Brexit London that's patrolled by an advance??d security force t??hat hits just a bit too close to reality.

Fans loved the Bloodline DLC for Watch Dogs: Legion because it brought original protagonist Aiden Pea?rce back into the fold. I'd love to see something similar from this movie. An original story set in a city never explored in the franchise before, with interesting characters specific to the movie.

However, I'd also love to have characters from the games make a cameo and tie them all together. There's so much to pull from with this IP, but throwing every element together and hoping for greatness won't be enough. The story must enable the tech on show to feel real and craft a world you could reasonably believe is only a few years more advanced than our own. It needs to wow view??ers but also scare them.

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Current gen titles to sport top-tier prices

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that the publisher is to adopt a $70 USD price tag for all of its m??ajor releases going forward. The new price point, which is fast becoming industry standard, will be applicable to all of the publisher's "AAA" titles.

Speaking in a recent interview with Axios, Guillemot noted that the price change was in-line with other publishers in the industry that have also decided to add a further $10 to the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of their biggest releases, particularly for current platforms such as PS5 and Xbox Series X. The first Ubisoft title to release at the new price will be the current-gen edition of Skull & Bones ā€?scheduled to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X in November. Future releases such as the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage are also expected?? to adopt the new pricing scheme??.

While many will understandably groan at the inevitable price hike, Ubisoft is by far the first publisher to take this step, and is in fact one of the few outliers in this particular situation. 2K Games' NBA 2K20 was the first title to launch at $70 back in 2020. Other publishers, such as Activision, Sony, and Square Enix, would follow suit ā€?putting out premium titles such as Returnal and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, even on the traditionally "cheaper" PC platform. Future blockbuster releases, such as the PS5 edition of God of War Ragnarok, are also expected to retail at ??the new price point.

Ubisoft Yves Guillemot interview [Axios]

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No iconic hat though

It's a Watch Dogs 2 Game Pass kind of week, as Microsoft has announced the next set of titles coming to the service this mont??h?.

Considered by many to be an improvement upon its predecessor,Ā Watch Dogs 2 delivered on a lot of promises Ubisoft originally made for the series (remember those bizarre Ubisoft E3 presentations?), and you can play it on PC, consoles, and cloud/mobile on July 19. The rest of the list isn't half bad either, as there's a new game in there (As Dusk Falls), as well as aĀ MotoGP romp, and some RPG love. It's somewhat typical of a stratified Xbox Game Pass launch that has something for everyone. You can find the full list of games below slated for July beyond the Watch Dogs 2 Game Pass marquee offering.

Inside is also a sleeper Game Pa??ss game, and will hit all three platforms later this month. It's definitely something that a lot of people missed, and although it's not everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to argue with "included with Game Pass, so why not?"

Xbox Game Pass week of July 18, 2022:

• As Dusk Falls, July 19 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Ashes of Singularity: Escalation, July 19 (PC)
• Watch Dogs 2, July 19 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• MotoGP 22, July 21 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Torment: Tides of Numenera, July 21 (Cloud and Console)

Xbox Game Pass week of July 25, 2022:

• Inside, July 29 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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Killer granny Neo Tokyo

Although we don't have full confirmation that it will feature anĀ iconic hat, there's a Watch Dogs manga on the way.

The news comes from the Manga Mogura Twitter account, which dug up an ad for "Watch Dogs Tokyo," a new manga series coming out today in Japan. It's actually live now, but you will need to grab it from the ??Kurage Bunch site, and it's only in Japanese at this time. Like many hacker story motifs, it'll feature a big company that works with a government entity to provide a service "for?? the people," only it's not what it seems, and some hackers find out about it.

Watch Dogs, since its 2014 debut, has been a weird ride. Although I like elements of the first two games, Ubisoft never really seemed to know what to do with the series. Outside of Mr. Robot, the whole "hacking" subgenre was clumsily handled by some creators as time marched on, and the ending of service for Watch Dogs: Legion spoke volumes about the future of the series. I wouldn't be surprised to see it licensed out lik?e this for a while, at a maximum.

With that in mind, I wish ??more Ubisoft franchises were licensed out for stories taking place in Japan.

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Ubisoft confirms the 5.6 update is the last for Watch Dogs Legion

Major developments look to be coming to a close on the latestĀ Watch Dogs game. In an announcement, Ubisoft confirms that the 5.6 update is the final update forĀ Watch Dogs Legion.

The update, released last September, is now the last one on the books. TheĀ Watch Dogs LegionĀ dev team says that reward tracks will cont??inue to roll out through the Online Mode. The current season, Rebels, ran until Jan. 22, followed by the fifth season Stripes. After season 5 is finished, seasons 3 through 5 will cycle, letting players hop back in and get any rewards they missed the first go-around.

The update onĀ Watch Dogs LegionĀ ends on this note:

"The game has gr??own by leaps and bounds, with a ton of content to explore, from a sprawling near future city to an action-packed Online Mode. We couldn't be prouder of the game we've created, and we appreciate all of you who've joined us on this journey i??n London over the year. We look forward to seeing more of your adventures in Legion!"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkM9ddLkl8

Watch Dogs LegionĀ was a pretty interesting twist on the open-world hacker adventure. Its main draw was the be-anybody system. Foregoing a traditional party or protagonist, you instead just hopped around recruitable NPCs from the world. Despite the novelty, though, it did have some parts that seemed to have trouble clicking together.

With development seemingly retroactively coming to an end, it does leave me curious what the future ofĀ Watch DogsĀ will be.Ā Assassin's CreedĀ is working on its next steps with Infinity, a reportedly live service model that matches up with Ubisoft's many other live service options. Watch Dogs Legion, however, is closing its doors. Hopefully its ideas live on a little bit. Much like the Nemesis system, I'd lov?e to see someone else tackle the "?be anyone" approach.

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Good Boring Britain

Ubisoft has launched the online component for its blah open-world sequel Watch Dogs: Legion. The new multiplayer modes are now live on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia platforms. The PC update has been halted for the time being due to technical issues.

Watch Dogs: Legion now offers a "Co-Op Free Roam" mode, wh??ich allows budding Brit hackers the opportunity to team up with a squad of three friends and take a stroll through the streets of London, completing activities?? and side-quests while enjoying the bizarre juxtaposition of character models paired with ill-fitting voice-actors.

For a little head-to-head action, players can jump into the Robot Wars-style Spiderbot Arena. For all of Watch Dogs: Legion's faults, you absolutely have to love those awesome little droids. In fairness, Watch Dogs: Legion only really comes alive once you step away from its tired campaign and just simply start raising a little hell, so perhaps this multiplay?er free-roam option will bring the fun and spontaneity back to the overly-formulaic gameplay.

Going forward, March 23 will see the arrival of a new multiplayer Tactical Op "Leader of the Pack," again delayed from its scheduled launch due to technical issues. In the meantime, season pass owners can jump into two new single-player missions: "Guardian Protocol" and "Not in Our Nam??e," both of which will see DeadSec continue on its tireless, if fruitless, task of liberating England from misery and corruption.

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Night City Higher

Night City's fascinating and dangerous world - inhabited by a cast of intriguing and amoral characters - has been providing an exciting experience for many Cyberpunk 2077 players. However, the slew of undeniable controversies surround CDPR's development process and the title's eventual launch - from technical, critical, employee and consumer standpoints - has gone some way to damping the fire for what was one of gaming's most-hyped releases ever.

Of no surprise, Cyberpunk 2077 debuted in the No.1 spot of this week's UK Charts, becoming the second biggest UK retail release of 2020 - beaten out only by Electronic Arts' soccer sim FIFA 21. While this is an achievement, these numbers generally reflect the sales of the PS4 and Xbox One editions of Cyberpunk 2077, the very same editions that CDPR is currently offering refunds for, due to their shaky technical performance.

Elsewhere in the charts, other blockbuster titles such as Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Sony's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla continue to jockey for both position and those all-important Holiday sales. Over in Nintendoland, sales continue for Switch releases Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and perennial Xmas seller Just Dance 5.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: December 12, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Cyberpunk 2077 - CD Projekt RED
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
5. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
6. Just Dance 5 - Ubisoft
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
8. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
9. Minecraft - Nintendo
10. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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FIFA 21 remains the title to beat

While we have already passed the typically lucrative Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, the UK Chart remains relatively stagnant this week. The same ten titles occupy almost the exact same ten spots that they did last week, with Electronic Arts' FIFA 21 retaining the coveted number one position for a t?hird week running.

The Top Ten is rounded out with some of 2020's most recent releases, including Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Sony's pseudo-sequel Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Nintendo regulars Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars are present and correct, maintaining?? the steady sales that each Switch title has seen since launch.

There's a new gun in town however, and this week's launch of the long-in-development and highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 is guaranteed to cause a stir when it launches Decembe??r 10. With the UK high street tem??porarily out of lockdown, and Holiday shopping in full effect, it is very likely that next week is CD Projekt RED's for the taking.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: December 5, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
6. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
7. Just Dance 5 - Ubisoft
8. Minecraft - Nintendo
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
10. Marvel's Avengers - Square Enix

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Slack Friday

The latest UK Chart re??port sees most of the industry's biggest releases jostling within the Top Ten, as the UK's current COVID-19 lockdown legislation put the dampers on the lucrative Black Friday sales, (which Britain also adopted because Capitalism, yo).

Electronic Arts' football simulator FIFA 21 has once again returned to the number one spot, pushing out Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War after just one week. Nintendo saw its Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe climb to numbers three and four respectively, while Square Enix's stumbling Marvel's Avengers has managed to push back into the Top Ten at number seven. Rounding out the charts at number 10 is Ubisoft's perennial holiday seller Just Dance. 'Tis the season, after all.

The biggest single-week drop goes to Nintendo brawler Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which slipped from number six to number 20, with a 61% sales decline. Given the current state of the UK high street and the r??apid decline in physical sales, these rise and falls are becoming ever more irrelevant as an expression of a title's success or failure - but it's still an achievement to see your title hit the coveted number one spot, only encouraging further sales.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: November 28, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
6. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
7. Marvel's Avengers - Square Enix
8. Minecraft - Nintendo
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
10. Just Dance 5 - Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Downton Crappy

They'r??e deleting saves, hard-locking consol??es, and blocking progression. It truly is anarchy in the UK.

Watch Dogs: Legion kind of sucks -- a hollow game hamstrung by its insistence that any character can be the main protagonist, and weighed down by a repetitive structure. It's also very broken, as there have been many reports in the?? month following launch of players who simply cannot complete the game thanks to some combination of problems in an impressive array of technical fuckups.

Ubisoft is fixing the issues with singleplayer while putting multiplayer on the backburner. The four-player cooperative mode with new missions, dynamic events, and challenging Tactical Ops missions is no longer arriving on December 3. Ubisoft has pushed it back to "early 2021" while sorting out all the problems Watch Dogs: Legion launched with.

As for the existing problems, there's a patch coming this week that addresses a lot of the major stability issues. Here's the full list. Watch Dogs: Legion will eventually get fixed -- these gigantic triple-A games rarely stay busted forever -- but everyone knows it's pretty unacceptable right now. If you already own Watch Dogs: Legion, no one would blame you for Brexiting off to another game while Ubisoft puts out ?all the fire??s.

Patch Update Regarding Watc??h Dogs: Legion and Announcement for the Online Mode [Ubisoft]

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The next-gen holiday season is officially underway

After weeks, even months of stagnation, the UK Charts have finally been shaken up with debuting hardware PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Now available on UK shores, the new consoles and their respective releases have been battling it out in the Top Ten, with Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War coming out on top, at least for this week.

The '80s-set first-person shooter usurped Ubisoft's Viking adventure Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which drops to number four having spent only one week in the premier position. Sony's open-world pseudo-sequel Spider-Man: Miles Morales holds firm at number three, while Electronic Arts' endlessly selling FIFA 21 climbs bac?k up the charts to roost at number two.

In regards to new releases, Epic Games phenomenon Fortnite returned to the Top Ten, thanks to a physical release of the DC Comics-themed bundle The Last Laugh. Nintendo's Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity only made a modest impact in regards to physical sales, debuting at number six. For some reason, given all the great titles on offer this week Ubisoft's Watch Dogs: Legion managed to climb bac?k up the Top Ten,?? and sits at number seven.

With the UK mired in lockdown for the foreseeable future, retailers will no doubt be hoping that online sales will bring the lucrative Christmas cash rolling in. Given the proven ongoing trend in digita??l sales, this holiday season may prove to be the physical gaming industry's last hurrah.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: November 21, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
2. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
5. Fortnite: The Last Laugh Bundle - Warner Bros. Interactive
6. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Nintendo
7. Watch Dogs: Legion - Ubisoft
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
10. Minecraft - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Thanks for axeing

In the first major shakeup in months, the UK Charts welcomed a fistful of brand new releases into its ranks, all vying for the coveted number one spot. When the dust had settled, in what could be seen as something of an upset, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla beat out Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to become the ??best-selling physical launch of the week.

Ubisoft's head-cleaving open-world adventure debuted at number one, with the rockin '80s Cold War settling for number two. In third place was Sony's pseudo-sequel Spider-Man: Miles Morales. PS5 releases Demon's Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Godfall also debuted at numbers six, 13, and 16 respecti??vely. Quite a feat considering the new hardware hasn't even launched o??n these shores yet!

Once we are past the typically lucrative holi??day period, things may start to get a little tougher for the physical sales charts. With a year-on-year shift toward online sales; cheaper, disc-less hardware, and the ongoing string of high-street lockdowns, 2021 and the ninth console generation are set to very much be the era of the digital download.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: November 14, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
4. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. Demon's Souls - Sony Interactive Entertainment
7. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
9. Minecraft - Nintendo
10. Watch Dogs: Legion - Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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London Falling

"This video game is a work of fiction. Any resembla??nce to actual events or any real persons, living is purely coincidental. No organization or government agency has approved endorsed or authorized the?? use of their names or logos or product."

For some time now, Ubisoft has opened many of its titles with a disclaimer similar to the one above, often placed front and center each time the game in question loads. While a company wanting to "cover its back" is understandable, it gets harder to swallow said message with each release. Ubisoft is heavily invested in narratives concerning political upheaval, corrupt governments, class rebellion, and the b??reakdown of society. But the publisher's persistence in distancing itself from the topics it capitalizes on is getting long in the tooth.

Ubisoft's fiction is frequently embedded in recognizable real-world drama. The publisher openly linked Watch Dogs: Legion with Brexit before reiterating that Ubisoft games are "not political." The Division 2 featured war in the streets of Washington. 2018's Far Cry 5 was about doomsday preppers following a false idol, while the upcoming Far Cry 6 concerns a fascist?????????????????????????? dictatorship on an island off the shores of the United States.

There's nothing wrong with tackling socio-political subjects in any medium - creators can and should when the opportunity arises - but at least own your stake. ?Telling the audience that your wares "aren't political" doesn't wash ??when you set your latest adventure in "post-Brexit" Britain, open the story with terrorist attacks, feature dialogue referencing "fake news" and "social media conspiracies," and then add British xenophobia, a work-shy Prime Minister, and a crumbling NHS to the mix.

When companies take this tack, it comes off as having your cake and eating it too, allowing the product's marketing to bask in the headline-grabbing buzz of real-world concerns while not having to actually enter legitimate discourse with thos?e for whom these themes may be disturbingly relevant. Make your point, but also own it. To do otherwise is arguably exploitation.

Watch Dogs: Legion (PS4 [reviewed], PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, Stadia)
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 29, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

Watch Dogs: Legion is the third entry in Ubisoft's high-tech, open-world crime series. The story concerns a London that has become a locked-down surveillance state following a tragic night of terrorist bombings, resulting in much death and destruction across the capital. DedSec -? the franchise's phone-hacking heroes - have been left holding the bag for this disaster, having been framed by an unknown party known only as "Zero Day."

In the wake of the bombings, the British government has all but abandoned the police forc?e, bringing in paramilitary security firm Albion to handle London's law enforcement. In the following months, London does become relatively free of crime, but also free of human liberties. Albion, with its army of surveillance drones, its jack-booted soldiers, and its propensity for violence, rules over London with a fascist fist. It's up to the hackers of DedSec - now deeper underground than ever before - to rally the people and bring about freedom, one terabyte at a time.

As a narrative concept, Legion sets the stage for an exciting, state-smashing rebellion. Outmanned and outgunned, our ragtag revolutions must use their wits, cunning and technical prowess to research their enemies and bring them down from within, toppling the government and its skull-cracking rent-a-cops using brains over brawn. But in reality, Legion translates this "??Vive La Revolution" spirit into hours of relatively choresome missions, with almost all falling into a formula of Infiltrate, Hack, and Escape.

While the narrative persists in telling you that you're being the Trojan Horse that's bringing down a regime, it's hard to feel like 007 when you're repeatedly driving to locations, meeting a dude, driving somewhere else, opening a few doors, and hacking a terminal. While Legion is certainly peppered with its fair share of vehicular mayhem and head-popping gunfights, for the most part the campaign consists of a queue of mundane missions, often leaving the player feeling like they're performing odd-jobs rather than taking down a dangerous dystopia. On a mission-by-mission basis, Legion is... fine, but it's startl?ing? just how quickly gameplay becomes stagnant. The very first mission, before the credits have even rolled, is a "hold off enemy waves while a hack takes place" set-piece, setting the tone for the familiarity ahead.

The fresh element that Legion brings to the party - as its title suggests - is the concept of playing as a gathering of mismatched rebels, rather than a singular protagonist. Players seek out recruits to the cause while traversing the streets. Simply find a disfranchised Londoner, perform a short mission for them, and you have another DedSeccer on your squad. Each character brings their own set of skills to the urban war - perhaps they have access to certain weaponry, or a special drone, maybe they have legal skills to free your jailed teammates, or are a bit handy with the ol' one-two. Legion's hoo?k lies in the player building a bespoke party of operatives to ensure that, as a collective, DedSec has?? the skills on deck to tackle any situation.

It's a solid concept, but unfortunately, the idea promises more than it delivers. For the most part, save for a few specific technical traits, very few revolutionaries are required in DedSec's efforts to liberate London. A team of unique protagonists with individual abilities, skills, and perks is a great, Mission: Impossible-type idea, but in reality, the gim?mick is mostly superfluous. Almost everyone you bag is, ultimately, more than capable of dealing with the majority of encounters.

Ironically, the lack of a true "lead" actually hurts Legion's immersion. Despite his iconic hat, Aiden Pearce was an insufferable bore, but stripped of the charisma of characters such as Watch Dogs 2's Marcus Holloway and his hipster kidz, Legion leaves us with a band of mostly interchangeable nobodies. This often leaves player characters feeling hol??low and NPC-like, rather than a passionate posse of freedom fighters. Case in point: the first character to draw any real emotion from me was a sad, broken Spiderbot, still t??rying its very best to be useful despite its pitiful state. Godspeed, little Spiderbot.

This dissonance affects Legion's campaign in multiple ways. Everybody had a chuckle at the "spy granny" trailer - sure - but in reality, this party rarely feels like an undercover, state-breaking unit. I was able to play half the game as a lofty, high society woman - Ascot hat, lace gloves, heels, the works - who I'm supposed to buy is also a stunt driving specialist, an expert gunslinger, and can take down waves of special forces? agents in hand-to-hand combat like she's Amanda Nunes.

It's a juxtaposition that Legion struggles with for its duration. One minute you're being told immigrants are being kidnapped and butchered for their organs, and the next Miss Money-Sterling and her Chanel suit just won a pit-fighting tournament on the dark web. Titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Saint's Row get away with blending their dark violence with off-the-wall wackiness due to their satirical, stylized worlds. But Watch Dogs' narrative is so grim and po-faced, rolling out themes of police brutality, human trafficking, terrorist atrocities, and politica?l fascism, th?at it doesn't earn the same tonal conflict.

Where Watch Dogs: Legion does put one in the net, however, is in the incredible work done in recreating The Big Smoke. The London of Legion is stunningly authentic and brilliantly detailed, from the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus and the pomp of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben to the grimier underbelly rarely shown when U.S. sitcoms do an obligatory vacation episode. The developers have done an amazing job in replicating the bustling metropolis of modern London, tweaking it just en?ough to make the city feel that little bit more dangerous - a nightmarish vision that feels depressingly plausible.

Equally as effective are Legion's visual effects, featuring some of the best color, lighting, shadow, and weather effects we've seen in an open-world title since Batman: Arkham Knight. The Watch Dogs: Legion vista more than holds its own against the impending next-generation in both shine and scale. By comparison, the city's inhabitants are a li?ttle rougher around the edges visually - and feature a wide spectrum of voice-acting ranging from solid to hilarious. At one?? point I had a construction worker on my squad with the face of a 30-year-old but the voice of an 80-year-old.

Legion ran acceptably on PS4 Pro but was still fettered with small, irritating bugs. While the reported save corruption and Xbox-bricking flaws have now apparently been fixed, I still encountered multiple issues. These include unresponsive button prompts, missions? failing to trigger/end, two full crashes, and endless NPC oddities, such as a screaming woman having a fight in the street with nobody... Come to think of it, maybe that just added to the ??city's overall authenticity.

Watch Dogs: Legion certainly isn't a bad game by any stretch, but rarely is it engaging, and it is hardly ever simply "fun." Despite its multi-man concepts and intriguing narrative, Legion slots into the Ubisoft oeuvre of sequels, bringing little new to the table and feeling repetitious a mere third into its 20-30 hour run-time. Watch Dogs: Legion is as serviceable as a-n-other open-world crime sim, only really hitting highs when th?e player steps away from the main thread to spread a little extra-curricular cha?os.

As a new generation of gaming dawns, one can't help but wonder what Ubisoft has planned for its flagship franchises. It appears that the Rainbow Six team is already taking initiative and switching things up with the upcoming Rainbow Six: Quarantine. But what of the Assassin's Creeds, Far Crys, and Watch Dogs of the world? In the latter's case, it f??eels like the well is running dry, and if DedSec are intent on Hacking the Planet into the next decade, then they might need to download some new tricks.

For all its themes of rule-breaking anarchy, Watch Dogs: Legion toes the line as a formulaic, though ambitious, open-world adventure. While it boasts one of the most visually exciting and stunningly authentic locales in the genre's history, Watch Dogs: Legion's gameplay is mechanical, over-familiar, and repetitive, struggling to capture the exciting promise of a fist-pumping, system-smashing rev?olution.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Dolly Dearest

Last week saw the UK enter government-mandated lockdown once again, as the nation severely struggles to subdue the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown led to a spike in video?? game sales, as UK citizens prepared to spend several more weeks indoors.

Overall, the boost in physical purchases didn't make a world of difference to the UK Charts, which sees Electronic Arts' football simulator FIFA 21 retain the number one spot for a fifth consecutive week. Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons managed to clamber back up to number two, pushing out Ubisoft's open-world adventure Watch Dogs: Legion, which ?appears to have pe?aked - at least physically - after just one week of release.

Animal Crossing is not the only Nintendo brand to appear in the Top Ten, as veteran entries Super Mario 8 Deluxe, Ring Fit Adventure, Super Mario 3D All-Stars all continue to shift copies on a week-by-week basis. Perhaps the only real news of note this week is the debut of L.O.L Surprise! Remix: We Rule the World,?? with the mega-popular gacha doll brand poking its wide-ass head i?nto the premier league.

This is the final UK Chart listing of the current generation. While physical PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One titles will continue to sel??l way into the foreseeable future and beyond, the PS5 and Xbox Series X platforms are expected to raise the bar on digital purchases.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: November 7, 2020
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
4. Watch Dogs: Legion - Ubisoft
5. Minecraft - Nintendo
6. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
7. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
8. Minecraft Dungeons - Nintendo
9. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
10. L.O.L. Surprise! Remix: We Rule the World  - Nighthawk Interactive

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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A new era approaches

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that, somehow, the weeks of the horrorscape that is 2020 are getting faster and faster. Events that once seemed set in the future?? are upon us, impending, or passed entirely. It feels as if ??the year has flown by and, as we head into November, a new era of video gaming beckons. None of us really know when Real Life will return to normal, (or "The New Normal"), but just continue to be your very best self, look after those around you, and support those that may not be doing as well. Things will improve and a lot of us are handling this unprecedented year better than we give ourselves credit for.

This week was a bit of a disaster for me, game-wise. A couple of blinding migraines put me off excess screen-staring for a couple of days, then my PS4 - a launch model - finally bit the dust while trying to eek out Ubisoft's Watch Dogs: Legion. This required me to purchase another PS4, just a fortnight before the PS5 drops. Beggars belief. As for DedSec's adventures in old London town, keep your eyes peeled for a review ve??ry soon. Oh, it was also my birthday, which saw me enter a ne??w decade. I hope it's a good one.

Hope y'all have had a good week, and have been successful in finding hou??rs of great digital entertainment. This is your time to shine, as always, so jump into the comments below and let us know?? what games have taken your fancy this week. There are no rules, (there are some rules), but spill the beans on the old, the new, the great, the bad, and everything in between. We love hearing what you've all been up to.

Have a safe and pleasant? weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

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SvS (Spider versus Spider)

There are about a dozen possible takeaways from Ubisoft announcing Watch Dogs: Legion's post-launch content? plans. Maybe you'd like to focus on the fact that some is free and some i??s paid-for. Or, you might zero in on the fact that the protagonists from the first two games show up in the story DLC.

Me? I'd like to shine that spotlight on the unlicensed BattleBots multiplayer mode.

Soon after launch, Watch Dogs: Legion is getting a PvP mode called Spider-Bot Arena. It's an eight-player deathmatch where everyone takes control of a mechanical arachnid. Ho??p, shoot, and destroy. What a tangled web we ??weave.

That's just one reveal in this very detailed video. Let's tackle ?the rest in bullet-point style:

Free updates:

• Online open-world four-player co-op is coming on December 3, five weeks after the game first launches on October 29. This update will include new co-op missions and dynamic events. Tactical ops will be the most challenging cooperative missions, as they seem designed to function like raids.
• The aforesaid Spider-Bot Arena also appears to be part of the December 3 update.
• Invasion mode is coming back, which is a mode where you invade and hack other players' games.
• Ubisoft says more new game modes are planned but weren't detailed in the video.
• There are also new characters with new abilities, new missions, and new game-plus in the pipeline as free content.

Paid content:

• To the surprise of absolutely nobody, there's a season pass.
• The first expansion, titled Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodline, features a grizzled Aiden Pearce and Wrench from Watch Dogs 2. Bloodline promises "new storyline, new progression, and unique gameplay abilities."
• Season pass owners get access to four additional hero characters: Aiden Pearce, Wrench, Mina (a human test subject with mind control powers), and Darcy (a member of the Assassin Brotherhood because crossovers sell).
• The season pass also comes with: three additional DedSec story missions, an exclusive car skin, and a digital copy of Watch Dogs: Complete Edition. They kinda just snuck that last one in there.

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Another chance to grab Watch Dogs 2

It feels like head-turning stuff has been happening all over the gaming news cycle lately. X?box finally revealed the Series S and gave us next-gen pricing and release date info. Sony followed suit yesterday with a dedicated games showcase and PS5 price and launch date. On the PC side, the earth-shattering RTX 3080 cards came out and no one can find them. There's a lot going on!

Which is why it's important that we pump out a meat-and-potatoes kinda post every now and then. You?? know, a blue jeans and lunch pail kinda post. Maybe it's not sexy and maybe it's not head-turning. It's the kinda post that shows up on-time, pu??ts its nose to the grindstone, and gets the job done.

I am, of course, talking about the weekly Epic freebies post. This week, it's another opportunity to nab Watch Dogs 2 for free. Recently, you had a chance to pick it up through Uplay. Now you have a chance to pick it up through the Epic Ga??mes Store.

The other two games are solid in their own right. Stick It to the Man is a quirky platformer that a lot of people adore. Football Manager 2020 is a niche sports simulator t??hat has a dedicated cult following. Everything this week certainly has its au?dience.

Next week's freebie might throw you through a loop. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition is the lone announced Epic Games Store freebie. Surely there will be some other attrac?tions to complement it.

Football Manager 2020, Stick It to the Man!, Watch Dogs 2 [Epic Games Store]

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Gather 'round on September 10

Ubisoft's back with its second Nintendo Direct-??like streaming showcase. That's not much of a surprise considering it ended its first Ubisoft Forward by announcing a second.?? But now we have a hard date and a vague idea of what to expect.

In the teaser video above, Ubisof??t tells us that the next Ubisoft Forward takes place on Thursda?y, September 10 at 1pm Pacific. On a personal note, I don't have to work on a weekend this time. Vast improvement over the first.

As for the games being shown, there's considerable footage dedicated to Watch Dogs: Legion, Hyper Scape, The Division 2 (I think), and Rainbow Six Siege?. Here are some other rumo?rs that are floating around though:

• There's a Prince of Persia remake in the works and it's launching in November.
• Gods & Monsters has been renamed (to the much worse) Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
• Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Skull & Bones both have ampersands in their name and have both been MIA for a very long time. This is not a rumor, I just wanted to point it out.

It's a small roster, but we didn't get much out of the first Ubisoft Forward. Only five stories came out of it. If Ubisoft focuses on what's in the trailer and then caps it off with Prince of Persia, that'd be about on par with the first stream in terms of content. That's why it feels like maybe Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6 will sit this one out.

And, because there's no better place to put this, today is the 25th anniversary of Rayman. Both Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends are high atop my list of favorite games ever. I can't help but feel as though Rayman would still be with us if only it were named Tom Clancy's Rayman.

The post The next Ubisoft Forward is next week, here’s what’s rumored to be shown appeared first on Destructoid.

One more time with feeling!

So, the Watch Dogs 2 giveaway didn't go to plan yesterday. Ubisoft's login system was overwhelmed by traffic during the Ubisoft Forward stream, so no one could claim their free copy of Watch Dogs 2. You know that can't be the end of the story.

As a makegood, Ubisoft is extending the promotion until July 15 at 11:59 Pacific. That's right -- you have more than two full days to nab Watch Dogs 2 for f??ree through Up??lay on PC. That's a lot more generous than the initial window of "Sign in during the Ubisoft Forward stream" which was only 45 minutes long.

The registration process is simple. Visit this page, click that registration link, and sign in. If you're having trouble remembering your login, there's a chance that your Uplay account is tied to y??our PlayStation Network ID or Xbox Live.

Anyway, Watch Dogs 2 got a lot of love back in 2016 as a sequel that vastly improved upon the original in a lot of ways. If you're in the mood for an open-world Ubisoft game right now -- and that's 100 percent the sort of thing that sounds either very desirable or very not-desirable depending on your tastes -- this might be the deal for you. If you're particularly enamored, maybe it'll get you all geared up to take back London this fall.

Ubisoft Forward Rewards [Ubisoft Support]

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Log into Uplay once the main show starts at noon Pacific

[Update: Ubisoft Forward is starting, and the promo is now live! Note that Uplay is down today periodically, but Ubisoft says everyone will be getting the reward.]

Ubisoft is hosting its not-E3 stream on Sunday, July 12, and if you show up, you can snag a free PC copy of Watch Dogs 2. Yo??u'll need a Uplay account – and there's a limited window &ndash??; but that's the deal.

As noted in this blog post, viewers will need to tune into the Ubisoft Forward presentation starting at noon Pacific while logged into their Uplay account. Keep in mind, there's going to be a pre-show segment earlier that morning, so if you hop on and you see Trackmania, you're too early for Watch Dogs 2. If they're ??recapping the announcements in the post-show (starting at 12:45 p.m.), you're too late.

Is this freebie worth the trouble? For some people, definitely. It's a good sequel. It's still an open-world Ubisoft title – something you may not be down for in 2020 – but it's one of the b??????????????????????????etter ones?, I'd say.

As for the Ubisoft Forward stream, I can't say we're thrilled abo??ut the Sunday time slot.

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Another solid week

Another 1/52 of a year has gone by since we last wrote this article. After the earth revolves around its axis another seven times, we'll write this article again. We'll keep doing that until the earth makes one trip a?round the sun, and maybe f?or longer after that.

If the banality of it all has you grasped tight in its clutches, break free by playing The_Stanley_Parable. It's free on the Epic Games Store for approximately 168 hours. You can also download the original Watch_Dogs for free if that's more to your tastes.

Both games are about rebellion -- Watch_Dogs as a tech-driven revolution using public infrastructure, Stanley_Parable much more orderly in that you're not gonna keep pressing a button all day. Anyway, download these games. Although, now that we've told you to download them, it's much more in the spirit of The_Stanley_Parable if you don't download it. (But seriously, ?you sho?uld play it.)

The Stanley Parable, Watch Dogs [Epic Games Store]

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Cross-gen status revealed for Watch Dogs: Legion and more

Last week, publisher Ubisoft ?announced it was delaying the release of several?? major titles, including Watch Dogs: Legion, Gods & Monsters, and Rainbow Six: Quarantine. Fol?lowing a financial earnings call this week, it appears that these titles, along with two unannounced games, are also set for launch on the next generation of console hardware.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed the games' cross-generational status when speaking with investors. "The five titles, yes, they will be on this generation and the next generation, and they will take full advantage of all the new features that are coming with the machines, which are actually going to be extremely interesting for players," said Guillemot. "You will be able to download new content a lot faster, players will experience better framerates, there are lots of very good e??lements that w??ill come with these new machines."

So it seems that the previously announced delays may not have been strictly to improve the quality of the titles. Given that Sony's PlayStation 5 doesn't launch until winter 2020, this would suggest that Watch Dogs: Legion et al might not see the light of day for some time, dependent on how comfortable Ubisoft is with the time gap between launching their wares on current platfor??ms and next-gen hardware.

Ubisoft reveals five games in developmen??t for PS5 and Xbox ??Scarlett [Game Informer]

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We almost never had Helen

In today's episode of Impulse, I'm joined once again by my good friend Sam Mui from over at Infinite Backlog to discuss what we took away from the Watch Dogs: Legion developer panel and demo that was showcased at EGLX?? 2019. From delving into the “play as anyone” hook of the game and disc??ussing permadeath to even learning more about the open-world near-future take on London.

Note that trailer footage was used for the making of this video and keep in mind everything shown so far is still from an alpha build of the game. Watch Dogs: Legion will be releasin?g in 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.

The post Toda?y on Impulse, we break down what we know so far from Watch Dogs: Legion at EGLX 2019 appeared first on Destructoid.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint had *that bad* of a launch

Ubisoft doesn't want a repeat of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. As such, it's delaying three games – Watch Dogs: Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Gods & Monsters – into its next fiscal year, which starts April 2020. Going? a step further, Ubisoft is implementing "significant changes" to its producti??on process.

"While each of these games already has a strong identity and high potential, we want our teams to have more development time to ensure that their respective innovations are perf?ectly implemented so as to deliver optimal experiences for players," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said of the delays.

Under the new plan, the company will have five AAA games in its fiscal 2020-21 rele?ase calendar.

During an earnings call with investors today, Ubisoft reported a "sharp downward revision" in its revenue expectations due to Ghost Recon Breakpoint and, "to a lesser extent," The Division 2.

In the case of Breakpoint specifically, Ubisoft cited three hurdles:

• First, it is harder to generate interest fora sequel to a Live multiplayer game, when prior iterations benefited from years of optimization. Consequently, we need to make sure there is more time between each iteration of Live games.
• Second, our strategy of introducing gameplay innovations in our games has had a very positive impact on our brands. However, to win over players, these innovations need to be perfectly implemented in order to offer an optimal experience. This has not yet been sufficiently the case with Ghost Recon Breakpoint. While the change of formula has been very well received by some players, with an average daily playtime per player of over three hours, it also has been strongly rejected by a significant portion of the community.
• Finally, Ghost Recon Breakpoint did not come in with enough differentiation factors, which prevented the game’s intrinsic qualities from standing out.

Even in its busted state, I kind of just expected Breakpoint to do well enough to make Ubisoft happy, so to hear that's not the case – and it's so not the case that three games have been delayed – is wild.

Ubisoft Updates Financial Targets and Release Schedule for 2019-??20 [Ubisoft]

The post Rainbow Six Quarantine, Watch Dogs: Legion hit wit?h delays appeared first on Destructoid.

But where's the live action Siege show?

Producer Adi Shankar, known for his animated adaptation of Castlevania and the upcoming Assassin's Creed show, is also expected to begin production on a series based on Ubisoft's 2012 open-world adventure Far Cry 3, specifically its tongue-in-cheek "Blood Dragon" sub-universe.

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Vibe is still in its early stages, but the animated series is expected to help kickstart a "multiverse" of sorts, entirely comprised of Ubisoft adaptations. Other franchises from the publisher's portfolio expected to hit the small screen include a Rayman animated series, a tween/teen friendly Watch Dogs show, and even a series based on mobile game Hungry Shark, though details are incredibly slim on all???? of the above.

Despite all of this incoming idiot box programming, there is currently no sign of a high-intensity, Sicario-style Rainbow Six Siege series, which is a shame. Make the call, Ubisoft. I'd like to play Ela, I think you'll find my fee fair and af?fordable.

Adi Shankar working on another video game series [Gamesindustry.biz]

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Overpopulated

Ubisoft's approach to game design for the past decade can most succinctly be summed up as "more is better." More content, more open world, more everything. Sometimes it works out, like with Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- a game that fe??lt justifiably big. Other times, it's bloat for bloat's sake.

With Watch Dogs: Legion, Ubisoft attempts its more ambitious angle yet: Turn every NPC into a protagonist. I've seen it first-hand. I know it wo??rks. But, I'm not convinced it's a good idea.

Things have gone to hell in a handbasket. London is facing its downfall, society is on the brink of collapse, and an authoritarian regime rules over everyone. It's bleak. A collective of protesters in a rundown camp are doing their best to ??fight fascism. They don't seem to be making much progress.

There's a less vocal sect doing more damage. DedSec, a group of hacktivists, are using their tech savvy to fight corruption and power. They're destabilizing and dismantling this surveillance state in hopes of giving the common citizen a normal life again. It's Robin Hood by way of Orwell.

In Watch Dogs: Legion, DedSec is, in theory, made up of anyone. Any NPC can be recruited off the streets to join your cause. Everyone has a procedurally-generated backstory, and it usually fix??ates on some sort of frustration in their life. Maybe they're sw?imming in bills. Maybe someone's blackmailing them.

Getting them on DedSec's side is as simple as giving them a little help. Go erase their debts or the blackmail materials. It's probably a quick infiltration miss?ion, and you can exponentially improve their lives. More important to our cause, you can expand the DedSec roster.

After bringing someone onboard, they can be outfitted as one of Watch Dogs: Legion's three classes: Enforcer, Hacker, or Infiltrator. They all have their own approach. Enfo??rcers ?are brutish, relying on heavy weapons and explosive rounds to get the job done. Infiltrators are stealth-focused, using cloaks and quiet melee to gain access. Hackers use machines, like a crawling spider drone, while controlling everything from a distance.

Additionally, every NPC has their own special stats that might lend an edge. For instance, someone's profile might state that they offer +50% non-lethal damage and 40% longer arrest times. We talked to a? Ubisoft representative who confirmed that there isn't really a "god roll" NPC, so to speak; all c??haracters are pretty balanced, and none of them are blatantly overpowered.

Watch Dogs: Legion's developers might be most proud of the permadeath system. Aft??er taking enough damage, a prompt pops up asking if you'd like to surrender or keep fighting. Surrender and that character goes to the police s??tation, locked away for a while and inaccessible. Keep fighting and you're given a second chance to flee. Fail again and that character is dead for good.

But, in a world where anyone can be your minion, what does one pawn matter? It doesn't seem as if there will be much emotional effect to losing one DedSec member. They level up individually, so you'd probably rather not lose a well-skilled character. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Swap to someone else, carry on like nothing happened. If Watch Dogs: Legion boasts that it has ?functionally-infinite protagonists, why should we fe?el an attachment to any one person? They're interchangeable. They're cogs.

Besides, to get the full effect of Watch Dogs: Legion, it seems as if you only need three protagonists -- one to play the role of each class. Then ??you could write some real stories for these people. As is, it's a bunch of blank slates. In wanting everything, we're sacrificing any semblance of character development. There are five different storylines based on thematic pillars (police state, impact of technology, etc.) and they'll have to do the heavy lifting as far as the narr??ative is concerned.

The near-hour I played Watch Dogs: Legion convinced me that it'll be a??nother stylish tech-forward game with plenty of opportunity to approach a problem from multiple angles. However, it also convinced me that it doesn't need infinite protagonists. One or two or even three would've worked just fine. Given London's entire population at your disposal, chances are y??ou won't find yourself caring about anyone.

The post Watch Dogs: Legion has infinite protagonists when three would’ve worked appeared first on Destructoid.

Yeah, that joke's a bit old now, I hear ya

Ubisoft has revealed the contents of an upcoming collector's edition for their not-political open-world adventure Watch Dogs: Legion. Dedic??ated anarchists can plonk down almost $200 to bag themselves this particular iteration of the upcoming vigilante adventure.

The Watch Dogs: Legion Collector's Edition will include a copy of the game itself in an exclusive steelbook casing, a set of stickers, a double-sided "propaganda" poster and, the centrepiece of this whole shebang, a Lighting DED Coronet mask, which features a colourful neon design and even ??an animated display, which runs off of a pair of AA batteries. This edition also includes the game's season pass and offers buyers three day early access.

The Watch Dogs: Legion Collector's Edition is available to pre-order on all formats over at the official Ubisoft store. Our own Brett Makedonski got to stomp around a build of the game itself last week, which you can read all about right here.

Watch Dogs: Legion launches March 6 2020 o??n PS4, PC, Xbox One and Stadia.

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'Play as anyone'

The twist got out ahead of E3, but seeing it in action is another thing. Watch Dogs: Legion lets you play as numerous characters. Spot 'em around town, pull up info on their specialties, and recruit them as a DedSec operative, and level them up to make the most of their perks. ??The idea is to build a resistance on the ground in London "one recruit at a time," and yes, that even includes hacker grandmas.

Ubisoft demoed Watch Dogs: Legion during its E3 press conference, and the highlight, by far, was a spider-drone-controlling grandma. After Far Cry New Dawn, I'm sensing a trend he??re, people. I want to find her, play her origin mission, and add her to my roster and never, ever let?? her die.

On that note, permadeath – it's a factor.

The plot centers around a surveillance state, private militaries, and a crime syndicate. Tonally, it seems to be more of the same from Ubisoft, if you catch my drift. (Not that any of us were expecting otherwise.) That said, Clint Hocking (Far Cry 2, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory), is a pleasant surprise.

Watch Dogs: Legion is out March 6, 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Oh Ubisoft

[Update 06/04/19: Ubisoft has gone ahead and confirmed the existence of Watch Dogs Legion in a Tweet. The game will be present at E3?? and a small, 1?0-second teaser is viewable online.]

Ubisoft really can't catch a break when it comes to big E3 reveals. Much like how the last two Assassin's Creed games got leaked ahead of E3 in their respective years, the next entry in the Watch Dogs series has had the beans spilled. According to a report from Kotaku, Watch Dogs Legion will be present during Ubisoft's E3 presser next week. The initial leak came from an Amazon UK listing, but Kotaku's Jason Schreier confirmed that several sources from ??within the company have been passing that name around for months now.

As the title implies, Watch Dogs Legion will allow players to play as literally any NPC in the game. Taking a page out of the Fulton recovery system gimmick seen in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, ??????????????????????????it seems players will be able to recruit NPCs to their side and then control them at will. The official product description on Amaz??on reads:

Play as anyone, Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full  set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals ??that are generated & guided by gameplay systems.

Schreier corroborates the claim and says players will be able to see different things at various points throughout the game depending on who they are playing as. One of the reasons Watch Dogs Legion has taken so long to be revealed is because of how ambitious this system is, according to the report. I can see that, especially since this isn't some small scale project like Peace Walker was.

Well, it looks like we have one less mystery title to ??expect next week.

_{Ed Note - Small flub on my part, but the initial Amazon UK listing was spotted by The Nerd Mag. You can find their article here. The original story has been left below. - Peter}

Watch Dogs Legion Leaks, Will Let You Play As Any NPC [Kotaku]

The post (Update) Watch Dogs Legion leaks ahead of E3 appeared first on Destructoid.

More AAA titles on the way

As part of their annual financial report, Ubisoft has revealed that they still have three more AAA titles to launch before the end of the fiscal year (March 2020). When you include the currently-in-development Ghost Recon Breakpoint, that makes fo?r fou??r major games winging their way from the publisher.

No details were given as to what these three titles are, so we don't know if we're looking at whole new IPs, third-party projects, or just another run of annual sequels. The world's worst kept secret is a London-based Watch Dogs 3, which is a solid bet. As for the other two, I'd be pretty surprised if they weren't just sequels from the standard Ubi catalogue. I ain't expecting a new Prince of Persia.

Nevertheless, we'll find ??out soon enough. Ubisoft will be holding their usual press conference at E3 2019 on June 10, so I'm sure their big reveals will be made at that time.

Ubisoft has thr??ee unannounced AAA games on the horizon [Official]

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