In an interview with Trusted Reviews, Fergal Gara, Sony UK’s Managing Director, told the site that Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs was Sony’s ideal choice for a marquee launch title. The PS4 had no difficulty selling virtually all of its retail units in the US, and reports indicate that the system is already becoming scarce a day into its UK release. Regardless, Gara would liked to have seen Watch Dogs available on day one. He does, however, understand the decision to delay, saying:
“It is a slight disappointment [that Watch Dogs has been delayed]. The timing isn’t as we had hoped. We have said we are for the players and we would rather they have a great game slightly later than a good game early. It would be a terrible shame if a game like that – which could go several rounds, Watchdogs 1, 2, 3 and could define next-gen gaming and really push some boundaries – it would be a shame if a title like that came out and it was only good when it could be great.”
Watch Dogs was originally set to be a launch title for both the PS4 and Xbox One, with coinciding releases on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and the Wii U. However, it was delayed until Q2 of 2014 (Gamestop’s website lists the release date as June 30th) for quality control reasons.
Ubisoft’s growing film division has also announced a partnership with Sony Pictures and New Regency to deliver a Watch Dogs film, which is the 6th Ubisoft game currently in film development (Ubisoft has stressed that it will create new stories for each movie, so they can’t be considered “adaptations”). The others are: Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon (Michael Bay has signed on to develop it), Rabbids, and Far Cry.
The Ghost Recon film catches my eye due to Michael Bay’s involvement, so we know to expect:
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The Far Cry announcement is also pretty interesting. Are we meant to forget the first adaptation? Well, it is still on Netflix, and I won’t ever forget. Uwe Boll is the destroyer of video game lore, but that is another story.
Getting back to Watch Dogs, it is interesting that a film adaptation is already in the works even though the game is 6+ months from release. It speaks to the tremendous confidence that Ubisoft has in its Montreal development branch and the game itself. Sony Pictures will help develop the film, and at least one high ranking Sony executive has gone on the record to sing the game’s praises. When you couple this with the large number of Watch Dogs pre-orders and the great buzz over the game at the last two E3 conventions, the game has a lot to live up to. I like shooters and sports games as much or more than the next guy, but I was also part of the large group that considered Watch Dogs an absolute lock as a day one purchase. The delay was meant to make a good game great, and anything less than greatness could add it to Adam’s list of amazing game flops.
Feel better champ?
Originally posted on Corrupted Cartridge
