The game industry can be very unpredictable, especially in an a era of block buster titles and franchises. Many games often fade into the background though often these titles do everything correctly in terms of development. Watch Dogs 2 (2016) is a game that many might consider underrated since it made its debut nearly a decade ago. A game remembered for its vibrant open world, action packed missions, charismatic characters and most importantly hacking.
A sequel to Watch Dogs (2014), the game is an action-adventure experience. Just like its predecessor, the core theme of the game is hacking and follows a gray hat hacker. The game has incorporated several real world themes as it explores the real world dangers of a society being controlled by big data where massive tech corporations exploit the public via privacy invasion and data manipulation. It also explores how it plays into mainstream politics and the use of smart-city surveillance to control the public.
Thus, the name Watch Dogs signifies the battle of vigilante hackers or “hacktivists” who act as public watchdogs to expose these wrongdoings and often walk the thin line which separates justified vigilantism from criminal extremism. The characters often use the same exact methods of digital invasion, manipulation and surveillance to fight their enemies even resorting to violence. A key mechanic of the game is infrastructure manipulation, using the environment to fight the enemy. As the smart city network is centralized and connects all the infrastructure the player can use hacking to manipulate and weaponize them.
Lucien Soulban, the Lead Writer for Watch Dogs 2, stated that the game’s core theme shifts from basic data collection to how that collected data is actively weaponized against regular people.
The story of Watch Dogs 2 takes place in San Francisco, the Bay Area is known for being the tech hub of the world. The main protagonist is Marcus Holloway, a young talented grey hat hacker who was framed and profiled by the smart city network ctOS (Central Operating System) for a theft he did not commit. After erasing his digital profile, Marcus under the hacker alias “Retr0” joins the underground hacktivist group DedSec, who have been waging a war against corporations and the government. Together with fellow DedSec members Wrench, Sitara, Josh and veteran hacker Raymond “T-Bone” Kenny, Marcus goes up against the Blume Corporation, the creator of the ctOS. After the disastrous events of the first game, Blume redesigned the ctOS to be more invasive and plans on expanding its network across the USA. The primary goal of Marcus and allies are to expose Blume on how they weaponize citizen data for mass control and political manipulation and permanently dismantle the ctOS network with complete corporate transparency.
Unlike its predecessor, Watch Dogs 2 operates on a significantly different theme. The first Watch Dogs explores a dark, neo-noir story of personal trauma, revenge and vigilantism with the location Chicago representing a dystopian surveillance state which masks systemic decay and the seamless merging of tech monopolies with organized crime. Whereas Watch Dogs 2 shifts dramatically into a vibrant, satirical critique of modern tech-corporate culture, mass surveillance, and collective digital resistance. With San Fransico representing the paradox of the modern tech utopia, where a sunny, colorful facade of freedom and innovation masks an invisible web of corporate control.
Creative Director Jonathan Morin stated that the core theme of Watch Dogs 2 explores the next societal evolution of technology, focusing on Big Data, algorithmic profiling, and predictive analytics. The game critiques the weaponization of personal data, including the use of social media and predictive algorithms to influence society and control individuals.
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with support from other satellite Ubisoft studios , the game received generally favorable reviews to critical acclaim though, it had a disastrous commercial opening. Many blame it on the backlash the first game received due to controversy surrounding the graphical and mechanical downgrade which made the sequel less desirable for fans. Though in the years following it became a commercial success with over 10 million units being sold. Another factor that contributed to the failure was the intense holiday release as many other big games were released during this time making it a highly competitive market.
Unfortunately, over the years since its release the game has mostly remained underrated. As failures of the first game really affected the hype for Watch Dogs 2, many didn’t see the game as worthy of their time and money. Game design specialists note that Ubisoft treated Watch Dogs 2 as a total corporate course correction to the first game’s criticisms. Also, big titles such as GTA didn’t do them any favors in the playground of open world games. Many gamers belive Ubisoft’s own games such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry push the game to the sidelines overshadowing it. Another factor is the games direct sequel Watch Dogs: Legion (2020) which was also a significant shift from the second games tone which many fans didn’t resonate with. Overall, several factors have unfortunately kept the game from being recognized as a proper example of what an open world game should be. Today, as it completes its 10th year, Watch Dogs 2 remains an underrated cult classic.
