Watch Dogs 4 Should Return to the Series’ Roots

gamerant.com:

Ever since its inception in 2014, the Watch Dogs franchise has had a bit of an identity crisis. The first game introduced players to a world run by technology where every citizen is put under heavy surveillance. The game told a dark and gritty story about a hacker vigilante named Aiden Pearce who wanted to get revenge for the death of his niece. Instead of continuing this dark theme, the second title took on zanier characters and a colorful city. Then, the third entry went even further and gave players complete control over the streets of London and its inhabitants.

The only thing tying the three Watch Dogs titles together is their world. Themes present in each story and the gameplay on offer are all very different, giving off the feeling that Ubisoft does not know what to do with its franchise. Watch Dogs: Legion was the biggest departure from the framework of the original, and it has also proven to be the most divisive. Now rumors are circulating that Ubisoft may be quietly retiring the series to focus on other IPs. If Ubisoft does decide to make a fourth game, it needs to consider returning to the series' roots and delivering another gritty tale in this technology-filled world.

Watch Dogs Should Have Been Canon to Assassin's Creed

The first Watch Dogs title should have been the framework, but instead Ubisoft chose to reinvent the series with every entry and that lost a major part of what attracted people in the first place. Players wanted to control a vigilante and play around with hacking tools while following an intriguing story. Ubisoft delivered on the hacking and open-world mayhem in future titles, but its reinvention sacrificed the franchise's story potential.

Watch Dogs introduced players to a new world in which