Watch Dogs 2, the sequel to 2014’s open-world cybercrime simulator, has a new city, a new hero, and a new bag of tricks. Players will be heading to beautiful San Francisco, where they use an upgraded CtOS to hack terminals, infiltrate the city, and cause general chaos as new main character Marcus Holloway. The game’s premise was announced today during a livestream presentation that coincided with the mysterious countdown timer posted two days ago.
Check out the trailer that accompanied the reveal below:
Players will be able to explore San Francisco and surrounding areas, including Oakland and Silicon Valley — the “birthplace of the tech revolution.” This setting makes a lot of sense given the tech-centric nature of the Watch Dogs series. An upgraded ctOS system means players will be able to go even deeper into the city’s infrastructure; players will be able to control drones, cars, cranes, robots, and more. Just like in the original game, players will also be able to hack into the devices of San Francisco’s citizens to either learn more about them, steal their cash, or – as Ubisoft’s press release puts it — “trigger unpredictable chains of events.”
Marcus Holloway seems like an interesting character, “a brilliant young hacker who has fallen victim to ctOS 2.0’s predictive algorithms and is accused of a crime he did not commit.” Sounds like he’s a man with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Ubisoft also released a short video profiling our new protagonist:
Just like with the previous game, players can choose their approach to accomplishing objectives. If players want to get things done in a non-lethal fashion, the game offers plenty of tools for doing just that – the only limit, really, is the player’s creativity. Of course, less subtle players can always go in guns blazing. It might not be creative, but hey, it gets the job done.
Watch Dogs 2’s San Francisco will seem vibrant and alive, regardless of the player’s engagement. The team is working hard to create an organic world teeming with activity.
Ubisoft Montreal senior producer Dominic Guay had this to say about the team’s approach to developing an interesting sequel:
Our creative team is working hard to deliver an outstanding Watch Dogs experience. In Watch Dogs 2, we’re excited to give players a captivating storyline with engaging characters that offers deeper, more meaningful hacking options, a greater variety of gadgets and weapons and a brand new seamless multiplayer experience that will appeal to fans of the original Watch Dogs as well as players new to the brand.
We can’t wait to learn more. Fandom should have a chance to see the title in person at E3 next week. Our full show coverage begins Sunday with the EA and Bethesda press conferences.