Watch Dogs 2 is currently available for pre-order from retailer GameStop ahead of the game’s official reveal from developer and publisher Ubisoft.
The company has stated previously that the “next instalment” of the Watch Dogs franchise will be released before the end of fiscal year 2017 (March 31st, 2017) but has not yet confirmed the game’s title or revealed any information about its story or setting. GameStop is currently offering Watch Dogs 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Presumably, it will also be available for PC but there is no current listing.
Previous reports suggested that Watch Dogs 2 will release around November this year in order to fill the gap left by next Assassin’s Creed being moved to 2017, with rumours stating the game will be set in San Francisco. The events of the original Watch Dogs takes place in Chicago.
GameStop’s current listing of Watch Dogs 2 appears to use placeholder box art, which simply features the original game’s logo and the number “2”. There’s also no release date mentioned.
It was recently reported that the game will support DirectX 12.
Game director Jonathan Morin has said players can expect Ubisoft to take bigger risks with the sequel. “The challenge when we made the first game was to create something that would make people dream about something else,” Morin commented last year. “With a sequel, there is more pressure to push a brand forward and we now have to appeal to fans in a new way. You have to carry on taking risks.”
Watch Dogs 2 has also appeared in the LinkedIn profile of senior gameplay programmer Julian Risse. The game will likely be officially unveiled during Ubisoft’s E3 press conference in June.