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What did you take away from the first
Watch Dogs?
DOMINIC GUAY:
Making a new IP is
a great opportunity. The team felt we had
accomplished many things, but at the
same time we felt we could take it to a
whole new level with a sequel.
After shipping the original
Watch Dogs
we listened to what players had to say. In
Watch Dogs 2
, you play a new character,
Marcus, a young hacker that fights a
corrupted establishment that exploits
technology for control. This lets us
develop a storyline that is directly linked
to our game’s fantasy.
Hacking is obviously a core element of
the game and we wanted to give it more
depth, more flexibility, so that players
could plan or improvise with it to create
their own unique moments in game.
We also felt that the seamless online
gameplay from the first instalment
opened up an exciting space for
innovation, to change the way multiplayer
experiences could be integrated in an
action game.
We wished to give players more
freedom in their play style. While we
embrace stealth, action and hacking as
viable styles, we feel game challenges
should let the player free to find their
own solutions. They should decide
how they want to play the game: guns
blazing, as a ghost, or as a trickster who
manipulates people and systems.
What were the key points that you
identified needed working on for the
sequel?
We paid close attention to players’
feedback from
Watch Dogs 1
and have
worked very hard to incorporate it as we
build the next iteration in the franchise.
I mentioned many of these points
in the previous answer: focusing on
our core thematic narratively, adding
depth and flexibility to hacking, pushing
seamless online to include seamless
coop and open world friendly player
encounters, giving the player more
control on his play style by giving him
more freedom in the game. I would also
add that we made our game world less
player-centric. As you explore the San
Francisco Bay, you will be surprised by
the feeling the city has a life of its own,
that it does not revolve around Marcus.
Enemy factions fight each other’s, events
happen in the city and people react to
them, people laugh at other’s misfortune
but also help each other, etc.
We also addressed some more specific
points. For example, many players felt the
driving could be improved and we agreed.
We kept the wide range of vehicle styles
but we are delivering a more accessible
driving this time.
Why choose San Francisco as the
setting?
Obviously it is a beautiful area with
inspiring, diverse locations and people.
It is also the birthplace of the tech
revolution, notably in Silicon Valley, the
place where many of the technologies
that will change our lives tomorrow are
being invented today.
Why change the protagonist from
Aiden to Marcus? How do they differ?
It starts with the choice of setting:
Marcus is a brilliant hacker who is from
the San Francisco Bay Area, grew up in
Oakland and experienced the injustices
of the ctOS 2.0 system first hand. In
Watch Dogs 2
, the hacking culture is a
central theme and Marcus links up with
a powerful group of like-minded hackers
in DedSec. Marcus operates as part
1 2 3 4
We wished to
give players more
freedom in their
play style