Watch Dogs: Legion is a 2020 action-adventure game created by Ubisoft Toronto and released by Ubisoft. It is a follow-up to the 2016 game Watch Dogs 2 and the third game in the Watch Dogs series. The story takes place in a futuristic, dystopian version of London. Players control a group of hackers called DedSec, who are trying to prove they are not responsible for a series of terrorist attacks. At the same time, DedSec works to free London’s people from Albion, a powerful private military company that has turned the city into a place where the government watches people closely after the attacks.
The game’s main activities, such as shooting, driving, sneaking, and solving hacking puzzles, are similar to earlier games in the series. However, Legion introduces a new feature: players can choose to control many different characters in the game’s open world. Each character has special skills and backgrounds. If players choose a setting where characters can be permanently lost, some characters may be removed from the game forever. Missions can be completed in different ways depending on which character is used. In March 2021, a multiplayer mode was added, allowing up to four players to work together on missions or explore the city.
The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Stadia on October 29, 2020. It was also available as a new game for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 in November. When the game first came out, critics had mixed opinions. Some praised the variety of playable characters and the permadeath feature, which helped players form emotional connections. Others criticized the characters for lacking personality and for having uneven abilities. Additional criticism focused on the game’s world design, driving mechanics, inconsistent difficulty, repeated missions, online features, and technical issues.
After its release, Ubisoft released updates to improve the game. These updates added new missions, game modes, and playable characters. A special event featuring characters from the Assassin’s Creed series was also included. A paid story expansion called Bloodline was released, continuing the stories of Aiden Pearce, the main character from the first Watch Dogs game, and Wrench, a key character from Watch Dogs 2.
Gameplay
Watch Dogs: Legion is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view, set in an open world that looks like London. Players can explore the city by walking, using parkour moves, driving vehicles, or fast-traveling through Underground stations. The game includes eight areas of London: Westminster, Wandsworth (Nine Elms), Lambeth, Southwark, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and the City of London. The game has many missions, including story missions, missions to free boroughs, missions to recruit new characters, and side activities. Players can choose to complete missions in any order or explore the city for hidden items. Each mission has multiple ways to complete it: fighting enemies directly with weapons, sneaking around to avoid detection, or using hacking tools to trick or distract enemies. Combat includes gun fights with both lethal and non-lethal weapons, as well as hand-to-hand fighting. Enemies react differently based on how players fight them. For example, a guard hit with a punch might attack with fists, but might start shooting if the player uses a gun. Enemies may chase players, including drones, but players can escape by hiding in objects like vents or avoiding being seen.
Unlike earlier games in the series, Legion lets players use multiple characters during a playthrough. After the story's introduction, players choose a starting character, but others can be recruited later by completing missions. These recruits can be switched to at any time and customized with clothing. Each character has their own lifestyle and job when not in use, such as visiting a pub. Characters have different skills based on their background: a spy can use a silenced gun and a special vehicle, a hooligan can summon friends to fight, a builder can use drones and a nail gun, and an "adrenaline junkie" deals more damage but risks being knocked out. Characters gain experience when used, unlocking new skills. Players can spend "tech points," collected around the city, to upgrade weapons and gadgets. Special characters called "Prestige Operatives" have unique weapons and stronger abilities as they level up.
Each potential recruit has a trait that shows whether they can be recruited based on their feelings toward DedSec, the game's group. Some recruits may refuse to join if they support opposing groups, dislike other characters in the player's team, or if DedSec harmed someone they care about. If a recruit is willing to join, players must complete a mission to help them solve a problem, such as finding a missing person or recovering stolen items. Any recruit can be killed during the game, either in combat, by accident, or due to their traits, and permanently removed from the player's team if the "permadeath" option is enabled. If all characters die or are arrested in permadeath mode, the game ends. In games without permadeath, characters may be jailed or hospitalized after being arrested or seriously injured. The time they are unavailable can be reduced by recruiting certain characters, like medical or legal staff. Some characters may still die permanently if their traits cause unexpected deaths.
The online part of the game, added in March 2021, allows four players to play together, sharing progress between single-player and multiplayer modes. Multiplayer includes activities like city events, co-operative missions (including complex "Tactical Ops"), and the "Spiderbot Arena" competitive mode, where players control small spiderbot gadgets in free-for-all matches. The "Invasion" mode from earlier games also returns with changes.
Like the single-player mode, players can explore London and recruit characters, but instead of completing missions for each character, they spend "Influence," an in-game currency. Influence is used to unlock gadgets and upgrades and can be earned by completing missions, daily/weekly goals, bought with real money, or found on the map with masks and experience points (locations change weekly).
The online mode uses a seasonal system to add new content. Each season has a roadmap with rewards like Influence, weapon skins, or clothing. Players earn experience points by completing missions and activities, unlocking rewards as they level up. When a season ends, the next one starts automatically, and player ranks reset to 0.
Synopsis
The game Watch Dogs: Legion is set in a made-up version of London in the near future, possibly around the year 2029 or 2030. The city includes real landmarks like the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and The Shard. Since the events of Watch Dogs 2, technology has advanced quickly because of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). This progress helped improve Britain’s economy but also caused many jobs in different fields to disappear. Cryptocurrency is now widely used, with a type called ETO (Electronic Transferable Object) almost replacing the British pound in London. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems are common, as are drones, electric cars, 6G mobile networks, and self-driving cars. These technologies are managed by ctOS, a main computer network created by the company Blume.
The game follows the London branch of DedSec, a global hacker group that fights against groups and authorities that misuse ctOS to harm ordinary people. DedSec’s enemies include Zero Day, a rogue hacker group that falsely blamed DedSec for terrorist attacks; Albion, a private military company that took control of London’s law enforcement; Clan Kelley, a criminal group that uses the dark web for illegal activities; Broca Tech, a corrupt biotechnology company; and SIRS, an intelligence agency formed by combining Britain’s intelligence networks.
The London branch of DedSec, led by Sabine Brandt and her upgraded AI named Bagley, discovers armed intruders planting explosives in the Houses of Parliament. DedSec operative Dalton Wolfe defuses the bombs but is killed by drones controlled by Zero Day’s leader. The attack forces Sabine to shut down Bagley and go into hiding. After the bombings, the British government hires Albion to restore order and hunt DedSec, leading to social and political unrest.
Months later, Albion enforces strict laws without oversight, turning London into a surveillance state using ctOS and SIRS. Citizens lose personal freedoms and are constantly watched. Albion also fails to stop rising crime, including Clan Kelley’s illegal activities. Most DedSec members are arrested or killed, but Sabine returns after finding a new recruit through ctOS. DedSec regroups, recruits more members, and helps citizens resist Albion’s control.
DedSec investigates the bombings and learns that Albion’s CEO, Nigel Cass, and Clan Kelley’s leader, Mary Kelley, were involved. Cass plans to use "Project THEMIS," an army of combat drones, to control London. DedSec also uncovers Broca Tech’s CEO, Skye Larsen, conducting harmful experiments to convert human minds into AI. A SIRS whistleblower, Richard Malik, helps DedSec but later tries to take over SIRS.
DedSec defeats Larsen and Malik, then exposes Mary Kelley’s role in smuggling explosives for Zero Day. After Kelley is convicted, DedSec and a police detective attempt to capture her but let her be killed by her former slaves. DedSec then sabotages Cass’s drone project, exposing his crimes. Cass flees to Albion’s headquarters in the Tower of London, where DedSec kills him.
Later, DedSec learns that Sabine was behind the bombings and Zero Day, with Cass helping her before betraying her. Sabine plans to use stolen technology to take control of Britain’s ctOS network, causing chaos. To stop her, Bagley agrees to be shut down. A DedSec member prevents Sabine from spreading her plan by hacking Blume’s radio tower, leading to her apparent death. Another member shuts down Bagley’s main server, ending the crisis.
After the events, the British government reviews its contract with Albion, and DedSec is cleared of wrongdoing. They are praised for exposing corruption and restoring Bagley to his original state.
In a separate storyline, former vigilante Aiden Pearce accepts a job in London to reunite with his nephew, Jackson. His mission is to infiltrate Broca Tech and retrieve evidence about a new robot project and a device called the "BrocaBridge." His attempt is interrupted by Reginald "Wrench" Blechman, a former DedSec member who also seeks the BrocaBridge. Aiden is captured but escapes, meets Jackson, and is helped by a DedSec contact named Connie Robinson. Aiden later faces challenges from Broca Tech’s leader, Thomas Rempart.
Development
Watch Dogs: Legion was created by Ubisoft Toronto, with help from other Ubisoft studios in Montreal, Paris, Bucharest, Kyiv, and Reflections. The team was led by creative director Clint Hocking, who joined the project after Ubisoft moved the game’s development from Montreal to Toronto. Hocking had previously worked with some developers on Far Cry and Far Cry 2.
When the game was first shown at E3 2019, many news sources noted that its futuristic London setting resembled a post-Brexit world, which could reflect possible outcomes after the United Kingdom left the European Union. This choice sparked discussion in the media about political issues related to Brexit. Hocking explained that the idea for the setting came about about 1.5 years before the 2016 Brexit vote. While the game includes themes related to Brexit, the developers aimed to highlight real-world issues that contribute to events like Brexit, not to debate Brexit itself. In January 2020, Hocking stated that including real-world elements, such as Brexit, helps players engage with global topics, though the team carefully considered how to incorporate such themes into the game.
Ubisoft worked with British rapper Stormzy to create a special in-game mission called "Fall on My Enemies," which was released with the game. Stormzy also made a music video for his song "Rainfall" from his album Heavy Is the Head, using motion capture technology for the game.
The game supports Deep learning super sampling (DLSS) for Nvidia GPUs and ray tracing technology.
In 2020, hackers reportedly leaked 560 GB of Legion’s development tools and assets on the Dark Web.
Release
Ubisoft announced Watch Dogs: Legion through a social media post on June 5, 2019, and later revealed the game at E3 2019. The game was first planned for release on March 6, 2020, with Windows versions available only on the Epic Games Store for one year. However, Ubisoft postponed the launch in October 2019. In July 2020, during the "Ubisoft Forward" event, the company announced a new release date of October 29, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One. Later, in September and October 2020, release dates for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were announced. The Xbox Series X/S version was a launch title for the console, which launched on November 10, 2020. The PlayStation 5 version was released as a digital title on November 12 and as a physical copy on November 24. A version for Amazon Luna was officially announced on October 29, 2020, and became available on November 23.
In January 2020, BBC reporter Marc Cieslak interviewed game developer Hocking for a segment called Click, which used the studio’s motion capture software to take place inside the game’s virtual world.
The multiplayer component of the game was initially scheduled for December 3, 2020, but was delayed to early 2021 due to technical problems that needed fixing. The multiplayer mode was added on March 9, 2021, for most platforms and March 18 for Windows. Tactical Ops missions were added later, on March 23, due to technical challenges.
On May 4, 2021, the first major update added two new playable character types (DJs and First Responders), five special abilities, two gadgets, customization options, and multiplayer missions. Season Pass content included a new single-player mission titled Swipe Right and a new character, Mina Sidhu, a former test subject with mind control powers. On June 1, 2021, new Tactical Ops missions and a free character were released. A zombie survival mode called Legion of the Dead was also made available in alpha for Windows.
A story expansion titled Bloodline was released on July 6, 2021, both individually and as part of the Season Pass. It is a prequel to Legion, set months before the main game, and features the return of Aiden Pearce, the protagonist of Watch Dogs, and Wrench, a character from Watch Dogs 2, who becomes playable in both the main campaign and online mode. The expansion added ten story missions and side content for Aiden and Wrench.
An update on August 24, 2021, introduced Assassin’s Creed-themed missions, weapons, abilities, and a new character, Darcy Clarkson, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, available through the Season Pass. The update also added two new online modes, Invasion and Extraction, and a New Game Plus mode called Resistance Mode, which allows players to replay the single-player campaign at a higher difficulty while keeping upgrades. The Legion of the Dead mode was also made available on consoles. On August 30, 2021, a multiplayer heist mission and outfits inspired by the TV show Money Heist were added as part of a crossover. In January 2022, Ubisoft stated that after the release of update 5.6, the team would stop creating major content updates.
A prequel novel titled Day Zero and a companion book titled Resistance Report were published by Aconyte Books and Insight Editions, respectively, before the game’s release. A comic book series was released monthly starting in November 2021 by Behemoth in the United States and in two collected editions by Glénat in France. A prequel novel to Bloodline, titled Stars and Stripes, which follows Aiden Pearce and connects the events of Watch Dogs and Legion, was published by Aconyte Books in April 2022.
Reception
Watch Dogs: Legion received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, while the Xbox One version received "generally favorable" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews.
Electronic Gaming Monthly's Michael Goroff said the game introduces a new way to play open-world games by connecting NPCs (non-player characters) and adding "permadeath," which means characters can permanently die. He noted that this feature helped players form stronger connections with NPCs, especially when working together to survive. However, he pointed out that NPCs did not act like allies when the player encountered them during fights, and players had to search through many NPCs to find ones with useful skills.
VG247's Lauren Aitken criticized the game's story for being repetitive and said missions followed the same structure even when the difficulty increased after certain storylines. She also mentioned that NPCs had similar accents, making it easier for players to focus on those with hacking skills, as the game often required them. She concluded that the game would mostly appeal to fans of the Watch Dogs series and people who enjoy challenging gameplay.
IGN's Dan Stapleton praised the game's diverse NPCs, saying that choosing which characters to recruit could greatly affect gameplay and encourage creative play. However, he said the game could have better used this diversity and did not do enough to encourage players to recruit less skilled characters. Keza MacDonald of The Guardian called the game's cast "the most diverse in gaming history" and praised the ability to recruit any NPC. However, she noted that NPCs did not interact meaningfully with each other. She also said the game's political themes were "refreshing" and praised its well-written speeches about populism and data control. However, she pointed out that the villains were portrayed as overly evil, and the story did not match the quirky, pun-filled dialogue and voice acting. She gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
VideoGamer's Josh Wise criticized the game's driving mechanics as "chunky," meaning they felt awkward or unsmooth.
Watch Dogs: Legion was nominated for Innovation in Accessibility at The Game Awards 2020.
In its first week of release, Watch Dogs: Legion was the best-selling game in the UK when combining physical and digital sales. It was the second best-selling retail game in Switzerland and the fourth best-selling retail game in Japan. In Japan alone, 40,962 physical copies of the PlayStation 4 version were sold that week.