Watch Dogs 2 is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sequel to the 2014 game Watch Dogs and the second game in the Watch Dogs series. The game was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in November 2016, and for Stadia in December 2020. Set in a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area, the game is played from a third-person perspective. Players can move through the open world on foot or by vehicle. The main character is Marcus Holloway, a hacker who works with the group DedSec to stop a city’s advanced surveillance system called ctOS. Missions can be completed in different ways, and each success helps DedSec gain more followers. Cooperative multiplayer lets players compete against each other or team up to stop someone causing trouble.

Ubisoft Montreal studied feedback from the first game to improve Watch Dogs 2. The setting was researched by visiting California often. Ubisoft Reflections changed the driving mechanic. Real hackers helped make the game’s hacking features accurate. References to real-life events, like the Project Chanology protest, were fictionalized. The game’s soundtrack was composed by Hudson Mohawke. Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews, praising improvements in hacking, setting, characters, and driving. However, some issues with character development and technical problems (fixed later) were noted. By March 2020, the game had sold more than 10 million copies. A sequel, Watch Dogs: Legion, was released on October 29, 2020.

Gameplay

Watch Dogs 2 is an action-adventure game that includes stealth gameplay and is played from a third-person view, following Marcus Holloway, a young hacker. The game takes place in an open world inspired by the San Francisco Bay Area, which is more than twice as large as the setting in the first Watch Dogs game. This world includes four main areas: San Francisco, Oakland, Marin County (including Sausalito), and Silicon Valley. Players can move through the world on foot or by using vehicles like cars, trucks, buses, cable cars, motorcycles, quad bikes, and boats. The driving system was changed to be easier for players to use. Players can shoot enemies while driving. Marcus has improved acrobatic skills and can use parkour to move around the city. Players can complete missions using either an aggressive approach, such as fighting enemies with guns made by a 3D printer, explosives, or a billiard ball attached to a bungee cord, or a stealth approach, where Marcus can avoid enemies or temporarily disable them with a taser. The game encourages using the environment, like hacking an air conditioner to create an electric shock for enemies. Marcus can also use modular taser devices and explosives strategically. If law enforcement sees the player committing a crime or is alerted by a non-player character (NPC), police will try to arrest the player. The game’s upgrade system returns, with items divided into three categories: Ghost, Aggressor, and Trickster. Upgrades can be customized based on the player’s preferred style of play.

Marcus can hack electronic devices connected to the ctOS system using his in-game smartphone. For example, he can change the personal information of NPCs to make them arrested or attacked by gangs like the 580s, the Tezcas, the Auntie Shu Boys, the Bratva, or the Sons of Ragnarok. He can also hack and control mobile phones, disrupt traffic by hacking cars and traffic lights, access monitoring cameras, and perform "mass hacking" to affect a large group of people. When hacking an object, players may have multiple options. For instance, hacking a car might allow direct control or cause it to crash randomly. Unlike the first game’s protagonist, Aiden, Marcus has advanced equipment like a quadcopter and a remote-controlled car for hacking and scouting. Marcus’s clothing can be customized with over 700 items available in stores that reflect the fashion styles of each area. The game includes main story missions and side missions called "operations." Completing these missions increases Marcus’s follower count.

Watch Dogs 2 returns with multiplayer features. A cooperative mode allows players to meet and interact with others online. Players can explore the world and complete missions together, which also helps them gain followers. The game includes an emote system, letting players communicate through simple gestures. The game can be played online or offline. It also has six competitive multiplayer modes:

• Hacking Invasion: A one-versus-one mode where a player secretly enters another’s single-player session to steal data. The invading player must avoid detection, while the defending player tries to find and eliminate them.
• Bounty Hunter: A mode where a player becomes a target if they cause too much chaos. Police and up to three other players join to hunt the target. The hunted can fight back, escape, or receive help from other players. Players can manually set a bounty on themselves using the smartphone.
• Showdown: A mode where two teams of two players compete in short missions, such as stealing hard drives or hacking servers.
• Racing: A mode where up to four players race against each other using drones, ekarts, boats, and bikes.
• Man vs Machine: A mode where up to four players work together to destroy a machine within a limited time.
• Loot Trucks: A mode where up to four players compete to steal a valuable box from a truck, then escape police and other players. This event can occur randomly during free roaming or be manually triggered.

Plot

In 2016, three years after events in Chicago, San Francisco became the first city to install the next generation of ctOS (central operating system), a network that connects all devices into one system created by the technology company Blume. Hacker Marcus Holloway, who was unfairly punished for a crime he did not commit using ctOS 2.0, joined the hacking group DedSec. This group includes hackers named Sitara Dhawan, Josh Sauchak, Horatio Carlin, and Reginald "Wrench" Blechman. Marcus tested his skills by hacking a Blume server farm to remove his record from the system. DedSec discovered that the new ctOS could secretly harm innocent people in the city. To spread awareness of their goals, the group used social media to recruit others, exposing crimes and corruption linked to the system before targeting Blume.

After several successful discoveries, Josh noticed unusual changes in the number of people following DedSec on social media. When Marcus investigated, he found that Blume’s chief technology officer, Dušan Nemec, had used DedSec to promote ctOS 2.0 to people worried about being hacked. Forced to leave the city temporarily, DedSec participated in a hacking event in the desert and met the famous hacker Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney. Kenney agreed to help DedSec continue their fight against Blume. After hacking a major internet company’s server farm, the group used the data to expose corruption among police officers, politicians, and companies in Silicon Valley. During this time, Marcus also worked to stop criminal groups after one gang killed Horatio for refusing to help them, and he blocked Dušan’s efforts to stop DedSec using a rival hacking group and the FBI.

Eventually, DedSec learned about a program called "Bellwether," created by Kenney, and discovered that Dušan planned to use this program along with a new satellite network to control global financial and political systems, creating a monopoly over all electronic data. To expose Dušan’s actions, DedSec planned a large operation to let Marcus infiltrate Blume’s San Francisco headquarters. Marcus installed a backdoor on one of Blume’s satellites, hacked the company’s servers, and shared evidence of Dušan’s crimes with the police. After Dušan was arrested for fraud and Blume was investigated, DedSec continued their mission against the company.

In an extended ending added later, two unknown people mentioned that more DedSec groups and hacktivist organizations had formed worldwide in response to the Blume scandal in San Francisco. They said it was time for them to begin their own plans. The file name shown in the ending scene includes coordinates in Brixton, London, hinting at future events.

Development

At E3 2014, an executive from Ubisoft named Tony Key said the company was happy with the sales of the first Watch Dogs game and planned to make the brand a long-running series. The creative director, Jonathan Morin, explained that the first game’s main goal was to introduce the Watch Dogs brand. For the sequel, the team aimed to take risks rather than make a more polished version of the first game. To improve the game, Morin and his team studied player reviews from websites like NeoGAF and forums. Their goals included creating a realistic environment, giving players more freedom, and introducing a new main character with a personality very different from the first game’s protagonist, Aiden Pearce. Ubisoft Montreal, the primary developer, worked with other Ubisoft teams in Toronto, Paris, Bucharest, Kyiv, and Reflections to help with the game’s production. The driving mechanic was completely changed to make it easier for players, and this was done by Ubisoft Reflections, known for the Driver series. Ubisoft addressed concerns about a drop in graphics quality from the first game by stating that Watch Dogs 2 was developed from the start for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, unlike the first game. Another improvement was a stronger connection between the game’s story and its themes, with main missions structured as story arcs lasting up to ninety minutes each.

The developers worked with real hackers to check their game’s scripts, including the use of technical terms and gameplay mechanics, to ensure accuracy. The propaganda used by the game’s hacker group, DedSec, was inspired by animated GIFs, glitch art, and comic books from the 1940s. David Maynor was a hacking advisor, and Thomas Geffroyd, who had 20 years of experience with hackers, collected information from real-life hacktivists like Violet Blue and shared it with the team. The game includes references to real events, such as the fictionalized version of Project Chanology in the mission “False Profits.”

Ubisoft Montreal visited California often to research the game’s setting and included many local landmarks in the game. For areas they could not include, the team redesigned them and added them back. Producer Dominic Guay said realistic locations were important to encourage players to explore the open world. Unlike previous Ubisoft games, players did not need to climb towers to find missions or locations. Instead, the game allowed free exploration from the start. A new progression system, where players gain followers instead of completing main missions, was designed to encourage exploration and make the city feel more open. Around sixty programmers worked on the game’s development.

Plans for a sequel to Watch Dogs were first mentioned in Ubisoft’s financial reports in February and May 2016. The sequel was later confirmed as part of the 2016 E3 lineup. A 20-minute online presentation was held a few days later. On October 27, 2016, Watch Dogs 2 was announced as being prepared for release.

The game used an upgraded version of the Disrupt engine. The soundtrack was composed by Hudson Mohawke, blending electronic music and hip hop with influences from cult science fiction. Ubisoft partnered with Dutch producer Oliver Heldens to create a video for his song “Good Life” inspired by DedSec. Licensed songs were obtained through an agreement with Amoeba Music. Mohawke’s soundtrack was released separately as DedSec – Watch Dogs 2 (Original Game Soundtrack) by Warp Records.

Release

On June 8, 2016, Ubisoft announced the game would be released on November 15, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It was available in six different editions. In September 2016, it was announced that Watch Dogs 2 would include improvements for PlayStation 4 Pro. In October 2016, Ubisoft delayed the Windows version to November 29, 2016, to ensure the game was fully optimized. The game appeared on the front cover of Edge magazine in August. Two weeks before release, Ubisoft and Samsung partnered to offer a free digital copy of Watch Dogs 2 with the purchase of certain Samsung products. Amazon Prime copies were released early, which uncovered problems with the seamless multiplayer feature. Ubisoft promised to fix the feature on time, but on the day of release, the company said the feature was not working properly, with issues like slow performance and crashes. Cooperative multiplayer was added one week after the game’s release. A free trial lasting three hours was available for PlayStation 4 on January 17, 2017, and for Xbox One on January 24, 2017.

Pre-ordering "The Gold Edition Collector's Edition" included extra content such as weapon skins, vehicles, and drones. The "Deluxe Collector's Edition" included the same items but did not include the season pass. Each of these editions, as well as the generic "Collector's Edition," included a physical robot called "Wrench Junior," which could be controlled using a mobile app on a smartphone or tablet. The "Gold Edition" included the same items and the season pass. The "Deluxe Edition" did not include the season pass but had all other additions. A mission called "Zodiac Killer" was available only to those who pre-ordered the game. This mission involves the main character, Marcus Holloway, investigating a copycat killer who imitates the methods of the real Zodiac Killer. Amazon and Twitch Prime members received free content such as experience boosts and skin packs. A PlayStation 4 pre-order bonus mission called "ScoutXpedition" became free to download in January 2017.

The game was available on cloud-based streaming services Amazon Luna and Google Stadia on November 23, 2020, and December 9, 2020, respectively.

Five downloadable content (DLC) packs were released: the "T-Bone Content Bundle," "Human Conditions," "No Compromise," "Root Access Bundle," and "Psychedelic Pack." Due to an exclusivity agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment, all DLCs for Watch Dogs 2 were only available for PlayStation 4 for a limited time.

• The "Root Access Bundle" (released in December 2016) and "Psychedelic Pack" (released on the game’s launch day) include the "Zodiac Killer" mission, along with new outfits, cars, skins, and weapons.
• The "T-Bone Content Bundle" was released for PlayStation 4 on December 22, 2016. It includes a new co-op difficulty setting called "Mayhem," as well as clothing and a truck from the original Watch Dogs character Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney.
• "Human Conditions" was released for PlayStation 4 on February 21, 2017, and for Xbox One and PC on March 23, 2017. It includes three new stories set in San Francisco’s science and medicine industries. The pack also includes new co-op missions featuring an enemy class called "the Jammer," which can block a player’s hacker equipment, making them vulnerable to direct attacks.
• "No Compromise" was released for PlayStation 4 on April 18, 2017, and for Windows and Xbox One on May 18, 2017. It includes a new story mission, along with new outfits and weapons.

Reception

Watch Dogs 2 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. Technical problems on consoles were fixed with an update called Patch 1.04. In his review, Zack Furniss from Destructoid praised the sequel’s change in style to be less serious. He said the main character, Marcus Holloway, had the same charm and wit as the first game. Furniss liked the hacking feature because it could be used in many different ways and worked well with a non-lethal approach. He thought firearms could have been removed entirely for this reason. The driving was better than the first game, but glitches and low frame rates were still problems.

Matt Buchholtz from EGM said the game felt more like an immersive experience in San Francisco than a story about hacking. He noted improvements in the setting, characters, and story compared to the first game. He said tasks that helped gain followers encouraged exploration, but he found it confusing that the main character would commit murder, which led to more use of stealth. Elise Favis from Game Informer said the game had both good and bad parts compared to the first Watch Dogs. She liked the focus on hacking and smoother driving, but she found the main character’s actions inconsistent with his personality. She also thought the supporting characters were too annoying to be meaningful. Favis had trouble with low frame rates on PlayStation 4.

Aron Garst from Game Revolution said Watch Dogs 2 fixed nearly all the problems from the first game, making it a better version of the series. Dan Stapleton from IGN liked Marcus Holloway more than the first game’s character, Aiden Pearce, and enjoyed the supporting characters in DedSec. However, he noticed a contradiction because Marcus refused to kill innocent people, even though the game allowed it. This made stealth the best option for players. Philip Kollar from Polygon said the game might appeal to players who feel angry about the system and believe they know what’s best for the world. He praised the game’s humor and how it matched hacker culture. He said San Francisco’s design was clever and easy to explore, but he disliked the use of firearms, which he thought did not fit DedSec’s peaceful image. Alice Bell from VideoGamer.com said the game needed more polish and had multiplayer issues, but joining DedSec was still fun. She called it high-energy with engaging characters and a city that felt like a playground.

In November 2016, Ubisoft said pre-orders for the game were lower than expected. Because of this, the company lowered its sales goals for the second half of 2017. However, the CEO, Yves Guillemot, believed the game would not fail and compared it to Far Cry 3, a successful game with low pre-orders. He thought positive reviews would help sales because many buyers wait to see reviews before buying. In the United Kingdom, Watch Dogs 2 was the second-best-selling retail game in its first week, but sales dropped 80% compared to the first game. In the United States, it ranked eighth in sales in January 2017. The PlayStation 4 version sold 68,796 copies in Japan. In May 2020, Ubisoft reported that Watch Dogs 2 had sold over 10 million copies by the end of the 2019–2020 fiscal year.

Sequel

A sequel called Watch Dogs: Legion was announced by Ubisoft through Twitter one week before the official reveal at E3 2019. At that event, the game's original release date was set for March 6, 2020. However, the release was later delayed and moved to October 29.