Watch

dogs

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Montreal[a]

Publisher(s)

Ubisoft

Director(s)

Jonathan Morin[5]

Producer(s)

Dominic Guay[5]

Designer(s)

Danny Belanger[5]

Programmer(s) Francis Boivin[6]

Writer(s)

Kevin Shortt[7]

Composer(s)

Brian Reitzell,
Peter Connelly[8]

Engine

Disrupt,
with Havokphysics[9]

Platform(s)

Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Wii U

Release date(s) Win, PS3, PS4, X360,XBO

27 May 2014
Wii U

NA

18 November 2014

EU

21 November 2014[10]

JP

4 December 2014[11]

Genre(s)

Action-adventure

Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

Distribution

Optical disc, download

Watch Dogs (stylized as WATCH_DOGS) is an open world action-adventure video game developed
by Ubisoft Montrealand published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide on 27 May 2014
for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4,Xbox 360 and Xbox One, with a Wii U version
planned for release on 18 November 2014 in North America and 21 November in Europe.[10] Set
within a fictionalized version of Chicago, Illinois, the single-player story follows a hacker and his
efforts to seek revenge after the accidental death of his niece. The open world design lets players
freely roam Chicago, which includes the urban city, open countryside, and slums.
The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on-foot or by vehicle.
Players control Aiden Pearce, a highly skilled grey hat hacker who can hack into the "ctOS", a

centralized operating system which manages the hyper-connected city of Chicago, and formed after
a Northeast blackout of 2003 was caused by a hacker. Players can choose to play
as criminals or vigilantes. An online multiplayer mode is also provided in the game, allowing up to
eight players to engage in both cooperative and competitive gameplay in a recreation of the singleplayer setting.
Development on the game began in 2009. As part of their research for the open world, the
developers conducted field research around Chicago throughout development and captured footage
for the design team. Development duties were shared between many of Ubisoft's studios worldwide.
Following its announcement in June 2012, Watch Dogs was widely anticipated. At release, it
received generally positive feedback, with praise particularly directed at the game's hacking
elements and mission variety. The game also received criticism concerning the gameplay and some
technical issues which were later fixed via patch. Watch Dogs was a commercial success, breaking
the record for the biggest first day sales of a Ubisoft game, and becoming the biggest launch of a
new IP ever in the United Kingdom at the time. Within a week, the game sold over 4 million copies