The future of the Watch Dogs franchise looks uncertain after a new rumour suggested that Ubisoft has cancelled several projects related to the series. This news comes after the lukewarm reception, both from critics and the public, of the latest title in the Watch Dogs franchise, Legion, released in 2020.
The Watch Dogs series debuted in 2014 with the game of the same name, which brought technological vigilantism into focus in a fictionalised version of Chicago. The first title is iconic not only for kicking off the franchise, but also for the popular “Ubisoft downgrade” meme due to the large differences between the E3 2012 trailer and the final version.
However, the first game was successful, selling more than 10 million copies by the end of 2014. However, Watch Dogs 2 didn’t repeat the same success, taking almost four years to sell the same amount. Watch Dogs Legion tried to revitalise interest in the series with a unique “play like anyone else” mechanic, but ended up failing due to mixed reception from players and critics.
According to j0nathan, an important Ubisoft leaker on Twitter, the underwhelming commercial performance of Watch Dogs Legion led the company to cancel several projects related to the franchise, leaving Watch Dogs “dead and buried”. The cancelled projects are said to include a “rather original” battle royale title, indicating that Ubisoft was exploring new directions for Watch Dogs.
The lack of official confirmation from Ubisoft leaves room for doubt, but the warning signs began to emerge in 2022.
The future of Watch Dogs has been in doubt for some time
In 2022, YouTuber JorRaptor theorised that the Watch Dogs series might have been quietly discontinued due to the departure and relocation of senior team members associated with the franchise’s development.
Ubisoft’s abrupt cut-off of patches and content updates for Legion in 2022, just over a year after its release, further fuelled these rumours. At the time it was speculation, but two years on, it seems even more likely that the intellectual property is frozen.
Although Watch Dogs never reached the heights of other Ubisoft hits such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, its premise based on hacking and its implications in a hyper-connected futuristic world showed a lot of potential, unfortunately not explored enough.
It’s unlikely that the series will get another chance in the near future, especially at a time when AAA development costs are skyrocketing. However, a smaller, more focused title that returns to the roots of the first Watch Dogs could be just what the franchise needs to finally realise its potential.
