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Despite having a release fraught with delays, it’s safe to say that Watch Dogs still stands as one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Initially believed to be the title that would usher in the next generation of consoles and set the bar of quality, half a year later the game is continuing to face similar expectations. Delay or not, Ubisoft’s new IP looks as though it will hold a great amount of sway in the next-gen marketplace.
With Watch Dogs‘ release less than two weeks away, this couldn’t be any more true as Ubisoft has just revealed that the game has officially gone gold. Following an incredibly strong (yet partly controversial as we learned later) showing at E3 2012, it seemed as though every set of eyes within and around the gaming industry was trained on the upcoming open-world title. According to Creative Director Jonathan Morin,
“It’s exciting to be gold, but it’ll be more exciting when people are playing. For the fans it means that it’s true. It means there will be no such thing as another delay. But for us, it’s not done until they actually have it in their hands.”
With the status of the game’s Wii U release still not concrete, this could be good news for those worried that the title could face further delays. Judging by the recently-released gameplay trailer though, it’s safe to say that the experience looks like it will be well worth the wait.
Not content to simply announce the title’s gold status, Ubisoft has also revealed that Watch Dogs has broken not only company-wide sales records, but also industry-wide records for the current year. It now joins the ranks of Ubisoft fame as the most pre-ordered new IP in their history and the second most pre-ordered title in their impressive roster. In addition to this, Watch Dogs can also revel in the fact that it is the most pre-ordered new IP across the entire industry this year.
These are impressive accomplishments with Titanfall also representing a major new IP, and games including Destiny and Evolve still on the way. For many titles, this would serve to weather the excitement surrounding said game’s release, but for Watch Dogs that excitement has clearly maintained a strong and persistent momentum. This is hardly surprising though, considering the lengths Ubisoft is going to tease connections between Watch Dogs and their other top brands. With the game’s narrative set to continue outside of the game in the form of an eBook, Watch Dogs looks as though it will be one of the larger-scoped releases of the year.
Watch Dogs is set to launch on May 27, 2014 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The Wii U version is aiming for a release in fall 2014.
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