Watch Dogs Is Dead: Aiden Pearce Is Crying In A Digital Purgatory
Tom Henderson just confirmed what we all feared: Watch Dogs is basically a corpse in a digital hoodie.
I have spent years hoping Ubisoft would finally figure out how to blend the gritty neo-noir of the first game with the actual fun hacking mechanics of the second. Instead, we got Legion, a game that tried to make everyone the protagonist and ended up making nobody interesting. Now, it looks like the suits in Paris have finally decided to pull the plug on the whole operation. During a recent livestream, Tom Henderson dropped the hammer by stating the franchise is "completely dead" as far as he is aware.
It is a bitter pill to swallow, but let’s be honest: this isn't exactly a shocker given the nuclear bomb Ubisoft just detonated on its own production pipeline. While they are busy "refocusing" and cutting €200 million in costs, one of their most unique IPs is being left to rot in the digital dumpster.
The Leak: A Digital Eulogy
Henderson mentioned this during a massive broadcast where he was dissecting the current mess at Ubisoft. At around the 59:02 mark, the topic of Watch Dogs came up and his response was about as blunt as a lead pipe. According to his sources, there is absolutely nothing in development for the series.
You can check out the full source video here to see the soul-crushing moment for yourself.
Context: The Ubisoft "Major Reset"
This news follows the "Major Reset" we reported on just a few days ago. Ubisoft is currently in the middle of a total bloodbath, having already canned six games—including the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake—and gutted multiple studios. They are splitting the company into five "Creative Houses," and it seems DedSec didn't make the cut for any of them. If a fan-favorite remake like Sands of Time can get axed after years of work, a struggling brand like Watch Dogs didn't stand a fucking chance.
The Movie Zombie
What is truly bizarre is that the Watch Dogs movie is still supposedly in the works. Filming reportedly wrapped in late 2024 with Tom Blyth and Sophie Wilde attached to the project. It is a classic Hollywood move to produce a film for a franchise that the parent company has already abandoned.
I find it hard to be excited about a movie when the source material has been flatlining for six years. Usually, a movie is supposed to build hype for a new game, but in this case, it feels more like a post-mortem celebration for a patient that died on the table. Ubisoft is refocusing Vantage Studios (CH1) on "billionaire brands" like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Watch Dogs simply isn't in that league anymore.
A Glimmer of Copium?
Naturally, not everyone agrees with Henderson. Another heavy hitter in the leak community, Shinobi602, responded to the rumors with a simple "Not exactly." This suggests that while there might not be a Watch Dogs 4 on the horizon, the IP might not be permanently buried.
It is possible that Ubisoft is just putting DedSec on ice until they can figure out how to monetize it properly in their new "Live Service" hub (CH3). Or maybe they are waiting to see if the movie actually makes some noise before they commit another hundred million dollars to a sequel. Either way, for the foreseeable future, Aiden Pearce and Marcus Holloway are officially retired
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