Watch Dogs Legion is Becoming Its Own Worst Enemy | Game Rant
Around three months ago, players would've been jumping into the world of Watch Dogs Legion, had the game reached its original release date. Ubisoft made a seismic shift last year to its upcoming release lineup, largely in response to Ghost Recon Breakpoint's poor critical and commercial response. Along with Watch Dogs, several games originally set for Winter/Spring 2020 were pushed back indefinitely as a result, such as Gods & Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine. Not to mention any of the triple-A titles Ubisoft hasn't even provided a release window for yet, like Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2.
In particular, Watch Dogs Legion is unfortunately a victim of circumstance, with Ubisoft pushing back nearly its entire triple-A lineup because of Ghost Recon Breakpoint's poor reception. While the intent is to focus in on Ubisoft's future games and perfecting any issues from Breakpoint that may have permeated into the experience of Watch Dogs or any of its upcoming games for that matter, that is slowly turning against itself. Unfortunately, despite garnering lots of hype from fans and media, any semblance of that excitement may now be gone.
For those who may not have played the latest Ghost Recon or aren't familiar with the situation, Ubisoft took a solid hit upon the critical reception of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Critically, the game was derided for its run-of-the-mill open world mission structure, clear reliance on microtransactions and live service structure, as well as several performance issues and bugs impairing an already mediocre experience. Ubisoft itself has openly stated its disappointment in Breakpoint's performance, along with The Division 2's mediocre initial release. While both development teams continue to work and improve on Ubisoft's 2019 releases, the stigma is still there for Breakpoint.
As a result, Ubisoft pushed back all subsequent triple-A titles into the next fiscal year. Four months earlier, among all of Ubisoft's E3 hustle and bustle, Watch Dogs Legion lead the conference with an announcement trailer. Critic and fan response in general was very positive, with Legion taking on a completely new perspective(s) from its predecessors. The hype train was ready to roll for the game, but after Breakpoint enforced a delay for Ubisoft's lineup, Watch Dogs Legion went dark.
Since that E3 announcement trailer and the initial news blast that followed, Watch Dogs Legion hasn't had any kind of news or PR buzz. Ubisoft itself hasn't been silent though; in fact, there's been an entire Assassin's Creed Valhalla reveal and marketing blast before any Watch Dogs Legion follow-up trailers or news. Even Far Cry 6, a project that's presumably in development, has had more rumors and leaks than Watch Dogs official news. Part of that is likely due to the delay, but Watch Dogs Legion also showed off quite a bit last year about what made the game special.
It's unfortunate for Watch Dogs Legion, especially considering the serious momentum the game gained from its unveiling. Legion represents a wonderful revolution for the Watch Dogs franchise, embracing its innovation as well as its absurdity. The ability to recruit and play as practically anyone in the resistance, whether it's a highly trained secret agent or someone's grandmother, isn't something typically seen in triple-A games. Plus, diving the series into a near-future sci-fi setting is a natural progression for the franchise that's been mostly grounded in realism. Overall, Watch Dogs Legion looks like an impressive sequel already, which begs the question of what else can the game show off that fans haven't already seen.
Granted this could change during the "Ubisoft Forward" digital conference the publisher will be hosting in place of E3 this year. Watch Dogs Legion, among other heavy hitters like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and maybe Far Cry 6, will almost certainly be shown off there. But again, the problem is Watch Dogs Legion needs to somehow regain all the attention and steam it has lost in the last year. Amongst Ubisoft's biggest franchises, along with whatever new E3 surprises the publisher has in store, there's going to be stiff competition Watch Dogs Legion.
Considering the game headlined Ubisoft's conference last year, Watch Dogs Legion has already shown off a lot of what makes the game unique or special. There will still be the hardcore fans who want to play the game regardless, but Legion may have a hard time recapturing its momentum. Watch Dogs Legion was initially slated for launch in March, so it made sense to kinda show off a lot at once for Ubisoft. There's no way the development team could've anticipated the Breakpoint backlash and the subsequent delays. On one hand, it's good for refining the gameplay to avoid past mistakes, but the delay may have diminished any excitement for the game.
Even if new gameplay details are shown off for Watch Dogs Legion, it'll have to be something vastly different or surprising to get the attention of anyone other than existing Watch Dogs fans. The game's initial premise and protagonist system is still unique, so if Ubisoft can spin that in a unique way, there's still potential for bringing back the hype.
Watch Dogs Legion is currently in development.
Post a Comment