Unfortunately delayed from its original release date of PS4 launch to May 27th, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs is set to take full advantage of the PS4, with Creative Director Jonathan Morin saying on the EU PS Blog that “creating the game on PS4 was fascinating.”
Lead Game Designer Danny Belanger backed up Morin’s statement by adding, “The powerful technology helped us create a better simulation. The water effects, the amount of people in the city, the quality of the lighting… it all brings us a step forward.”
Also talking up the PlayStation 4 and how it’s given them a “chance to dream” is Colin Graham, Animation Director on Watch Dogs:
PS4 has really given us the platform to build a new type of game. It gave us a chance to dream. From an animation point of view we’re always running out of memory, especially when you start developing towards the end of a console generation, so PS4 allowed things like reduced animation compression and more variety in civilians. From my point of view it’s a bit like working with an unlimited budget because we can’t fill the memory budget on PS4. It’s a really nice piece of hardware.
As for some of the features in the PS4 version of Watch Dogs, it will use the DualShock 4’s touch pad, giving you the chance to tap it to bring up the map of Chicago, then use your finger to navigate the map. Also, as you’d expect, Sharing will be a big part of Watch Dogs, with Morin saying:
I love the Share button. I’ve always said that the next generation of gaming would be defined by the players’ behavior. It’s no longer about graphics, it’s about the social media phenomenon. The Share button’s presence helps create a certainty that PS4 players would be receptive to our ideas in Watch Dogs.
When buying Watch Dogs for either the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 on May 27th, you’ll be given 60 minutes of exclusive content, as well as a few other bonuses.
