Ever since its inception in 2014, theWatch Dogsfranchise has had a bit of an identity crisis. The first game introduced players to a world run by technology where every citizen is put under heavy surveillance. The game told a dark and gritty story about ahacker vigilante named Aiden Pearcewho wanted to get revenge for the death of his niece. Instead of continuing this dark theme, the second title took on zanier characters and a colorful city. Then, the third entry went even further and gave players complete control over the streets of London and its inhabitants.
The only thing tying the threeWatch Dogstitles together is their world. Themes present in each story and the gameplay on offer are all very different, giving off the feeling that Ubisoft does not know what to do with its franchise.Watch Dogs: Legionwas the biggest departure from the framework of the original, and it has also proven to be the most divisive. Now rumors are circulating that Ubisoft may be quietly retiring the series to focus on other IPs. If Ubisoft does decide to make a fourth game, it needs to consider returning to the series' roots and delivering another gritty tale in this technology-filled world.
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Watch Dogs Feels Different from the Rest of the Franchise
The firstWatch Dogstitle should have been the framework, but insteadUbisoft chose to reinvent the serieswith every entry and that lost a major part of what attracted people in the first place. Players wanted to control a vigilante and play around with hacking tools while following an intriguing story. Ubisoft delivered on the hacking and open-world mayhem in future titles, but its reinvention sacrificed the franchise’s story potential.
Watch Dogsintroduced players to a new worldin which Aiden Pearce would do anything to achieve his revenge. What ensues is a high-stakes story where players unravel a large conspiracy, after which the city of Chicago will undoubtedly never be the same again. The story wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was the only entry in the franchise that kept a darker tone.
Returning to the First Watch Dogs' Model
Watch Dogs: Legiontook the franchise to a whole new level whenUbisoft chose to let players control literally everyone. The story was no longer focused on one protagonist’s mission, but instead an entire hacker collective. There was no main character to get connected with, because every single NPC that players would come across could be the main character. It was an interesting concept, but it really limited the potential for a well-constructed story. It also brought the franchise further away from both the original title and the second game.
Watch Dogs 2did away with the original’s darker story, and replaced it with a more lighthearted tale filled with more comical characters. Many players felt like it was an improvement over the first, but something was lost in translation. The studio wanted to tell a darker, grittier story in Chicago, and that was exactly what it did. It was not fun or funny, it was a tragic tale about a broken man who just wanted to make things right in his own way.
If a fourthWatch Dogsis ever made, Ubisoft needs to consider returning to the framework that the first game built. The game should focus on a singular protagonist, it should follow another tragic tale that comments on the dangers of technology. This would not only allow Ubisoft to tell another interesting story, but it would also give the series a much-needed identity. Experimenting can be fun, but it is time forWatch Dogsto pick a theme and stick by it.
