It is no secret that Watch Dogs was a great game, very well received by the gaming audiences.
Designed as an ‘open world action-adventure stealth’ game, Watch Dogs is truly an inspiring game where players can choose to fight either as law or against it. You can be a criminal in this game or a vigilante – depending on how you are particularly feeling that day. As with several other anticipated titles coming up this year, Watch Dogs has also kept the audiences rapt and now as UBISOFT unravels its plans for the franchise, we think there is much to cheer about.
So, What Next?
After the heartwarming reception for Watch Dogs, UBISOFT has announced their plans of making the game into an annual franchise. This means, you will be able to see more of the game every year, in the form of newer content and installments to the base game. UBISOFT’s CEO, Yves Guillemot recently spoke about the game at a round table event. He talked about how the game had smashed the studio’s commercial expectations and how it was important to improve the title in every way possible. However, while the company is enthusiastic about the game, they are not too keen on rushing the sequel.
The Annual Franchise
The release of the first game in any franchise, is usually the most nail biting. This is because the developers are not sure if the audiences would appreciate their effort and the final product of it. The subsequent releases usually become easier, because you just have to build on what has already worked. However, this does not mean that developers take it easy when it comes to the sequels of any successful title. The sequels are usually as carefully crafted, because they need attention too. One wrong move and the botched up sequel could land the entire franchise in trouble. That is why most publishers take time with the sequel.
The Future of Watch Dogs
As per its CEO’s announcement, UBISOFT is expected to take its time with the game. They are likely to follow the same strategy with Watch Dogs, which they have already done with Assassin’s Creed. With Assassin’s Creed, the publishers took time to bring out the sequel, making sure that they took full advantage of everything that worked well in the first game. The idea is to build upon the tried and tested formula of success, instead of permitting the unloading of something completely new onto the audiences. Once the sequel is accepted by the audiences and well received, the developers can breathe easy and work towards building an entire franchise. For a game to be an annual release, it needs to have a dedicated team with a lot of dedicated resources. That can only come when the studio is sure that the subsequent episodes and additions to the game are commercially viable. If the base game and its sequel have both been runaway hits, it becomes evident that the game has, what it takes, to sell and then the appropriate resources and teams can be sanctioned.
Related ItemsWatch Dogs
