It wasn’t hackers or the FBI that put a stop to Watch Dogs hero Aiden Pearce — it was publisher Ubisoft.
The French company announced that it is delaying its open-world hacking game Watch Dogs until spring. This postponement effects all versions of the game across all platforms, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":838181,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"D"}']Ubisoft isn’t saying what this means for the official Watch Dogs and PlayStation 4 Launch Day bundle it is selling in partnership with Sony. That product page on Amazon still refers to the bundle, but it is unclear if those who preordered it will actually get it on Nov. 15.
“Our partnership with Sony remains strong, and we will have more details to share about the specific benefits of this partnership for PlayStation customers at a later date,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told GamesBeat regarding the bundle. We’ve asked for more details.
We’ve also reached out to Sony regarding the Watch Dogs PlayStation 4 bundle, and we will update this post with any new information.
“Our ambition from the start with Watch Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming,” Ubisoft spokesperson Gary Steinman wrote in a blog post on Ubisoft’s website. “It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until spring 2014.”
Ubisoft says it decided early on not to compromise on quality just to get the game out by a certain date.
“As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine-tune each detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience,” wrote Steinman.
The game originally debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2012. It immediately began generating buzz for its high-fidelity visuals and gameplay that didn’t seem to fully rely on firearms.