Dear Ubisoft, This Is How You Announce A Game

The Lesson That Was Learned From Watch Dogs

Last night, a trailer leaked for Watch Dogs 2 off of Twitch. It was a similar situation to what occurred with Infinite Warfare’s Hulu leak, where a shortened TV-spot version of the trailer was shown off as a pre-roll ad before the actual announcement. But unlike what happened to Call of Duty, Watch Dogs 2 has gained a pretty positive reception, that continued well into it’s livestream reveal. Some can blame this on the hate bandwagon that’s derailed COD (among fans) for years, but in reality, it’s simply because Watch Dogs 2 had a far better trailer.

Coming off of a middling first game that was not only mocked by gamers but also big Youtubers with great influence, (videogamedunkey and AngryJoe being just a few) saying Watch Dogs had a lot of room to grow was an understatement. And while the game did sell well, it didn’t have the lasting impact of other open world behemoths, partly due to the overhype and market competition.

But it was pretty obvious the game was going to get a sequel. It had been announced in earnings calls and separate leaks, and Ubisoft hadn’t been exactly adamant in wanting a new Holiday franchise either (Assassin's Creed: Syndicate had one of the worst commercial openings in the series history) However, nobody really expected the mischievous and lighthearted personality the game would come through with. For many players, including myself, this has been a great sign to revitalize a franchise that could have stayed on the backburner if not for the great revenue it produced. It marked a sort of Saints Row to Saints Row 2 approach, and the game so far, looks beautiful, a great contrast to Chicago’s dampness and grey.

And if you tuned in earlier last night, most of us got this just from one 30 second look at the game. TV spots like these are especially hard to produce. They require the trailer to be cut down, music and all, yet still sell you on the game while telling some kind of a story. As a frequent editor myself, I know how hard this can be. And coming off of a lousy teaser, Watch Dogs absolutely nailed this.

Here’s why:

1. Great Song Choice:

Song used in both versions of the trailer

A near Top 100 hit back in 2008, N.E.R.D’s Spaz is an alternative hip hop song that could be considered a bit dated, but gives the trailer a fanatical sense of energy, syncing the song’s hook with important CG sequences. Yet, it’s important to notice how rare this is in advertising. Sometimes, publishers will simply use a song as a backdrop, and not much else. (Batman: Arkham Knight and Homefront: The Revolution’s ads are some of the more flawed examples of this) But in the Watch Dogs 2 advert, the bridge of the song represents the characters relaxing after a series of challenging acts. By pairing melodic activity just the right way, Watch Dogs 2 gives you just a taste of what the best parts of the game will likely feel like.

2. A Developing Sense of Action

The last shot of the trailer

As the trailer goes on, it shows less shots of the landmark location and more of the main characters at the forefront. And in the span of seconds, we go from the main character getting ready for his next action, to literally taking over the city. It seems ridiculous, but this quick timespan works well with the trailer. this works especially in the longer cut, where the less chaotic and more grounded moments are revealed. Dedsec reaching 1 million followers is a key milestone for the hacker group, and gives a more human and personal take on all the havoc they wreck.

3. A Departure of Tone

Gameplay shot we got from the reveal

The first Watch Dogs dealt with real world themes such as the invasion of piracy, human trafficking, and good old fashioned revenge. But all of these things felt like an aside to the mundane tasks you really committed. But even with the small look we’ve gotten at Watch Dogs 2, we can already tell this is a lot different. Marcus isn’t no Aiden Pearce. He’s a character who’s been through some shit, yet he just wants to have some fun.

4. The Expression of San Francisco

Doglovers rejoice!

While Chicago was simply scenery to give the first game a darker tone, Watch Dogs 2 looks to re-embrace the opposite. People interact with one another in positive and negative ways (look out for fights!) and there looks to be a resounding level of synergy with you and the environment. It’ll be interesting to see how this really pans out in the game, but a chase on the Golden Gate Bridge or some parkour scenes look to be the standout examples of this.

5. The Glory of the Good and The Bad

Already this is an aesthetic improvement upon Clara, Iraq, etc

As seen in the premiere, Ubisoft designer Lucien Soulban put the game’s new direction in a breathtaking light. “Their messages sound very serious, but there’s also a lulsy element to it… What if their spirit is still rooted in the trolling, it’s a joke, we’re gonna have fun with it, but they still have something important to say?” This might sound like typical PR talk, but it’s still refreshing to see the middle ground Ubisoft has taken after the far too dark nature which was present in the first Watch Dogs. It’s not a complete reversal, but it’s one step in the right direction, documented by a revolutionary methodology showcased in the end of the trailer.