Ubisoft confirms that the highly anticipated sequel to one of 2014's hit games, Watch Dogs 2, will release for unspecified platforms before April 2017.

Considering the fact that the original Watch Dogs sold 4 million copies in one week, despite being a brand new IP, it's not surprising at all to know that Watch Dogs 2 is on the way. Ever since the success of the original, the sequel has been a shoo-in, but now fans have a better idea of when to actually expect the game to hit store shelves.

As part of the company's third quarter financial report, Ubisoft has confirmed that "the next installment of Watch Dogs" will release in the next fiscal year, which runs from April 1st, 2016 to March 31st, 2017. The wording of the report seems to suggest that the second Watch Dogs game may not be simply titled Watch Dogs 2.

Other than that, it's hard to glean any other information about Watch Dogs 2 from Ubisoft's third quarter financial report. However, Ubisoft has actually referenced the hypothetical game in the past on a number of occasions, which offers a better idea as to what fans can expect from the sequel.

First off, Watch Dogs 2 may not star Aiden Pearce. Pearce served as the protagonist of the original game, but he was met with mixed reactions from the community, with some criticizing the character as being outright unlikable. Since not everyone was too high on Pearce, it would make sense for Ubisoft to attempt to create a more popular character in Watch Dogs 2.

The game will likely feature many other differences from the original, as it was previously stated that Watch Dogs 2 will have "radical changes." Introducing a new protagonist is not terribly radical, especially since Ubisoft does it constantly with the Assassin's Creed franchise, so it suggests that other elements of Watch Dogs will be altered in the sequel. Perhaps other flaws that many pointed out about the original, such as its greatly reduced visual quality from the Watch Dogs E3 2012 reveal trailer, will be addressed.

Something else to consider in regards to Watch Dogs 2 is its setting. The first Watch Dogs was set in Chicago, but the sequel likely takes place in a different city. Some leaked reports last month suggested that Watch Dogs 2 would actually be set in San Francisco, but Ubisoft hasn't commented on the matter.

A lot of these questions regarding Watch Dogs 2 will likely be answered during Ubisoft's presentation at this year's E3 event. If the company is truly planning on releasing the game before April 2017, it only has a little over a year to get the hype train rolling, and E3 would mark the perfect opportunity to really get the game some attention.

Watch Dogs 2 will be available before April 2017, for unspecified platforms, though it seems safe to assume that it will release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One at the very least.

Source: Polygon