The future of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs franchise has become a subject of intense debate among gaming industry insiders, following a series of high-profile cancellations and company restructuring at the French video game publisher.
Conflicting Reports Emerge
During a recent episode of the Insider Gaming podcast, well-known industry insider Tom Henderson made a definitive statement about the franchise's status. "The Watch Dogs IP is completely dead following Watch Dogs: Legion," Henderson declared, referring to the 2020 mainline entry that received mixed reviews and underperformed commercially.
This assessment aligns with previous reports suggesting Ubisoft had quietly shelved the franchise after the disappointing performance of Watch Dogs: Legion, which represented the series' third major installment. No new games in the series have been officially announced since its release.
Contradictory Information Surfaces
However, Henderson's claim was almost immediately challenged by another respected industry figure known as shinobi602. Responding to a clip of Henderson's comments on the ResetEra forum, the insider simply stated "not exactly" without providing further elaboration.
When pressed about whether they were referring to the long-gestating Watch Dogs movie adaptation starring Tom Blyth, shinobi602 clarified: "I am not talking about a movie." This cryptic response has fueled speculation about what might be happening with the franchise behind the scenes at Ubisoft.
The Coterie Controversy
In subsequent discussions on Reddit, Henderson suggested shinobi602 might be alluding to a rumoured internal project called Watch Dogs Coterie. According to Henderson's understanding, this appears to be "nothing more than people who like the franchise, concept art, basic research and development" within Ubisoft rather than a fully-fledged development project.
Shinobi602 later clarified they weren't referring to this specific initiative, prompting Henderson to elaborate further on his perspective. "From my knowledge, it's as alive as, let's say, Eidos-Montréal working on Deus Ex again or something," he explained.
Henderson continued: "Those types of games are built into the foundation of teams and always talked about or ideated because of the passion they have for those franchises. 'It'd be cool if we could do this,' 'hey look at this concept art I did,' etc. But until the greenlight is given, it's just an idea."
Possible Interpretations
The conflicting information suggests several possibilities for what might be happening with the Watch Dogs franchise:
- Technical updates: Similar to the recent 60fps update for Far Cry 3, Ubisoft might be preparing performance enhancements for previous Watch Dogs titles
- Remaster projects: The company could be considering remastered versions of earlier games in the series
- Internal discussions: Passionate developers might be keeping the franchise alive through unofficial concept work and discussions
- Complete dormancy: The franchise might indeed be inactive aside from the delayed film adaptation
Broader Context at Ubisoft
This uncertainty comes amid significant challenges for Ubisoft, which recently underwent a major company restructuring that saw several projects cancelled. While Prince of Persia appears to have been most affected by these changes, the Watch Dogs franchise has also faced questions about its future viability.
According to industry reports, the restructuring has prompted several employees to view recent developments as "the final nail in the coffin" for their time at the company, with many seeking employment elsewhere. This potential brain drain could further complicate any efforts to revive dormant franchises.
Despite these challenges, Ubisoft's rumoured future slate includes several high-profile projects:
- Multiple new Assassin's Creed titles
- A new installment in the Far Cry series
- A fresh Rayman project
- A successor to Ghost Recon Breakpoint
The absence of Watch Dogs from this rumoured lineup lends credence to Henderson's assessment that the franchise currently lacks active development support within the company's strategic priorities.
Industry Implications
This situation highlights the precarious nature of video game franchises in today's competitive market. Even successful series can face uncertain futures when commercial performance falters, corporate priorities shift, or company restructuring occurs.
The Watch Dogs franchise, which debuted in 2014 with an ambitious open-world hacking concept, initially showed promise but struggled to maintain momentum through its subsequent releases. The series' apparent limbo reflects broader industry trends where publishers increasingly focus resources on their most successful and reliable franchises.
As the gaming community awaits further clarification about the franchise's status, the conflicting insider reports demonstrate how difficult it can be to ascertain the true state of development projects within major publishers, particularly during periods of organisational change and strategic realignment.
