Around three months ago, players would’ve been jumping into the world ofWatch 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 toGhost Recon Breakpoint’s poor critical and commercial response. Along withWatch Dogs, several games originally set for Winter/Spring 2020 were pushed back indefinitely as a result, such asGods & MonstersandRainbow Six Quarantine. Not to mention any of the triple-A titles Ubisoft hasn’t even provided a release window for yet, likeSkull & BonesandBeyond Good & Evil 2.
In particular,Watch Dogs Legionis unfortunately a victim of circumstance, with Ubisoft pushing back nearly its entire triple-A lineup because ofGhost Recon Breakpoint’s poor reception. While the intent is to focus in on Ubisoft’s future games and perfecting any issues fromBreakpointthat may have permeated into the experience ofWatch Dogsor 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.
The Breakpoint Fiasco and Legion’s Momentum
For those who may not have played the latestGhost Reconor aren’t familiar with the situation, Ubisoft took a solid hit upon the critical reception ofGhost 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 itsdisappointment inBreakpoint’s performance, along withThe 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 forBreakpoint.
As a result,Ubisoft pushed back all subsequent triple-A titlesinto the next fiscal year. Four months earlier, among all of Ubisoft’s E3 hustle and bustle,Watch Dogs Legionlead the conference with an announcement trailer. Critic and fan response in general was very positive, withLegiontaking on a completely new perspective(s) from its predecessors. The hype train was ready to roll for the game, but afterBreakpointenforced a delay for Ubisoft’s lineup,Watch Dogs Legionwent dark.
Legion Went Radio Silent
Since that E3 announcement trailer and the initial news blast that followed,Watch Dogs Legionhasn’t had any kind of news or PR buzz. Ubisoft itself hasn’t been silent though; in fact, there’s been an entireAssassin’s Creed Valhallareveal and marketing blast before anyWatch Dogs Legionfollow-up trailers or news. EvenFar Cry 6, a project that’s presumably in development, has had more rumors and leaks thanWatch Dogsofficial news. Part of that is likely due to the delay, butWatch Dogs Legionalso showed off quite a bit last year about what made the game special.
It’s unfortunate forWatch Dogs Legion, especially considering the serious momentum the game gained from its unveiling.Legionrepresents a wonderful revolution for theWatch Dogsfranchise, 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 Legionlooks like an impressive sequel already, which begs the question of what else can the game show off that fans haven’t already seen.
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Watch Dogs Legion: Bringing Back the Hype
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 likeAssassin’s Creed Valhallaand maybeFar Cry 6, will almost certainly be shown off there. But again, the problem isWatch Dogs Legionneeds 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 competitionWatch Dogs Legion.
Considering the game headlined Ubisoft’s conference last year,Watch Dogs Legionhas 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, butLegionmay have a hard time recapturing its momentum.Watch Dogs Legionwas 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 theBreakpointbacklash 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 forWatch Dogs Legion, it’ll have to be something vastly different or surprising to get the attention of anyone other than existingWatch Dogsfans. 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.
