Watch Dogs Will Have Actual Human-Like NPCs

Watch Dogs won’t incorporate robotic NPCs and cities with lifeless inhabitants. Instead, Ubisoft is proud to bring living, breathing characters to its massive open-world game.

That’s according to creative director Jonathan Morin, who told Xbox Wire that the power of next-generation consoles will help bring a new level of life into the residents of Chicago.

"Thanks to the next-gen, we can push the limits; we can make the player believe that when he does something, there are causes and consequences. I think that for the first time, players will not only be in a city, they will feel that people live in that city," Morin said. "After all, every city is defined by its inhabitants."

The AAA project will also make an appearance on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but the real show will be on Sony and Microsoft’s upcoming products. It’s all in the detail, and Morin really feels that this will be the first time that simple robots won’t be strolling across the sidewalks.

"For the very first time, NPCs around you are no longer robots that follow a sidewalk," Morin said. "They are real human beings with their own lives."

Don’t expect Watch Dogs to be as bizarre or outlandish as either Saints Row 4 or Grand Theft Auto 5. This is a much more grounded, serious story that won’t even include flyable aircraft. Look to hear more about its next-gen launch dates in the coming months.