The end for Watch Dogs? An insider claims several games have been canceled and it’s not looking good for the series
The first Watch Dogs was released in 2014 after a lot of hype in the run-up and, although it disappointed mainly in terms of story and technology, it sold really well with over ten million copies to date. Watch Dogs 2 was released just two years later and also broke the ten million barrier.
Nevertheless, the series is said to be as good as finished. How does that fit together? We sort out the rumors for you.
Several projects put on hold at the same time?
First things first: There is no official statement from Ubisoft that suggests or even confirms that Watch Dogs has been sent into early retirement internally.
However, the well-known Ubisoft insider j0nathan on X (formerly Twitter) claims exactly that: Watch Dogs is dead and buried
In response to a user asking if the insider could say anything about a new part of Watch Dogs, j0nathan replies:
Watch Dogs is actually dead and buried. The failure of Legion has destroyed the other projects for the brand (including a fairly original battle royale).
Ta réputation te précède ! Dès qu’ils ont un os à ronger ils sautent dessus (ça me rappelle l’engouement pour le faux leak que tu avais sortie il y’a quelques années 😂)
D’ailleurs, aurais tu entendu des choses sur un autre opus de Watch dogs ? (Juste oui ou non) 🙏🙏🙏– Defalt (@D3falt404) April 21, 2024
Yes, you read that right: This rumored internal decision is said to have led to Ubisoft discontinuing several Watch Dogs-related projects that were still in development
Which ones exactly, the insider does not reveal, with one exception: There was a very original battle royale game planned, which is now also no longer appearing.
The reason given by j0nathan for the end of the series is the failure
of Watch Dogs Legion. A look at rating portals such as Metacritic confirms that the third and final installment of the series to date is indeed the worst rated.
Sales are also said to have fallen short of Ubisoft’s expectations, although there are no reliable figures on this.
Why Prince of Persia of all things gives reason for hope
How reliable is the insider? j0nathan has been right several times in the past, especially when it comes to Ubisoft. Among other things, he leaked pretty much all the information about Assassin’s Creed Mirage before the reveal.
It can therefore be assumed that he actually has at least some insight into internal processes at the publisher.
However, fans of Watch Dogs should not yet retreat into cyberspace to mourn collectively. A comeback can never be ruled out!
Ubisoft has already shown several times that it is not afraid to revitalize game series that have long since disappeared into oblivion.
The gap between Rayman 3 (2003) and Rayman Origins (2011) is a whopping eight years (not counting the spin-offs). And Prince of Persia also recently made a comeback with the excellent The Lost Crown which will soon be continued with The Rogue .
So you see: the chances of a return are always there with Ubisoft. Unless your name is Splinter Cell, sob …
Phew, old wounds are opening up, let’s quickly change the subject: Ubisoft currently has its hands full even without Watch Dogs. It’s an open secret that Far Cry 7 is in development. Assassin’s Creed is of course still going strong. And we’ve even played the new Prince of Persia
