The Watch Dogs 2 trailer has been leaked before its official unveiling later today, revealing a bunch of new information about the game including its use of drones, free-running and an Anonymous-esque faceless hacking group.
With Ubisoft working tirelessly to take down the trailer making it unfortunately nigh-on impossible to view right now, here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know from the video:
Anonymous – I mean, DeadSec
DeadSec were an elite hacking collective featured in the original Watch Dogs game, but this time around it seems that their numbers have grown considerably, with them now more closely resembling the real-world online activist group Anonymous.
With the DeadSec skull logo being worn on bandannas masking the faces of those involved with the group, Ubisoft appear to have taken inspiration from the “Million Mask March” events in which protesters cover their faces with Guy Fawkes masks, the universal symbol for Anonymous. The group are the focal point of the game’s debut trailer, suggesting that its protagonist (who you can take a closer look at here) will likely be among their ranks.
Though DeadSec appear to be much more physically active than Anonymous members, who mostly limit their activism to online campaigns aside from the odd real-world protest, there are numerous similarities between the two groups which indicate that Ubisoft has basically recreated a fictional equivalent of the famous hacktivist network.
Free-running
The Watch Dogs 2 trailer features a bunch of scenes viewed in a first-person perspective, one of which sees the player-character leaping between buildings. Though these scenes may have been rendered solely for the purpose of the ad, it does suggest that at least some element of free-running will make its way into the game.
Drones
Drones have become much more ubiquitous since the release of the original game, as even Amazon is trying to jump on the bandwagon by delivering goods to Prime subscribers using the unmanned aerial vehicles. A drone also makes an appearance in the Watch Dogs 2 trailer, delivering a parcel to a character standing on a rooftop. This potentially means that the game will feature some drone-based missions, in which the player is tasked with piloting one of them.
Youthful anarchy
Whereas the original Watch Dogs featured a glum Aiden Pearce navigating the seedy but technologically advanced underworld of Chicago, the Watch Dogs 2 trailer seems to suggest that the series’ transition to San Francisco brings with it a much more youthful, hedonistic and anarchistic vibe.
The trailer depicts young, masked women partying, gangs of twenty-somethings gleefully breaking and entering buildings, and skinny jean-wearing, flat-capped DeadSec members rioting in the streets. Ubisoft previously stated that Watch Dogs 2 would represent a big change for the fledgling series, and this trailer highlights that change.
Blackout
One of the final shots of the trailer is of San Francisco suffering a total blackout. Whether this is the handiwork of DeadSec remains to be seen, but it does present a number of potential gameplay options, in which players could perhaps be tasked with navigating a bustling city suffering a complete electrical shutdown.
