Watch Dogs Mobile App 1

Watch_Dogs is shaping up to be a flagship transition game for the next generation of consoles and developer Ubisoft is looking to make it stick in a very real way by leaving no stone unturned. There's been the usual barrage of trailersgameplay videos and multiplayer info, but we also know Ubisoft intends to turn it into a franchise - with a feature film adaptation! - and there's evan an ongoing interactive real-world campaign that encourages gamers to hack ATMs and be the recipients of a glorious shower of actual dollar bills. Now thanks to Ubiblog, we also know a bit about what the new official app is going to be like.

For a game whose plot revolves around bringing Chicago to its knees with smartphones, a companion app is a must. This won't be the first app either, but we'll get to that in a bit. This new app in particular, titled "ctOS Mobile," doesn't seem to be some kind of a pandering farce that only loosely serves as a cheap tie-in for the game it's advertising. Instead, it looks to be a stand-alone experience dedicated to thwarting your friends with the use of hacked streetlights to send a slew of out-of-control cars into them, in addition to a bevy of other hacked nasties.

While the Ubiblog write-up seems a little hazy, it's (hopefully) safe to assume that all of this will be done from the comfort of your own bed or bus or wherever you use your smartphone from, because, while hacking real-life elements to kill your friends sounds at face value like an exciting prospect, it seems likely that such a thing would be rife for lawsuits and lifelong "I killed my friend by playing a game" PTSD. Instead, it seems as if the app works by being able to remotely manipulate the experience of another friend actually playing the console version of the game, in effect creating a ceaseless round of new experiences every time.

The Watch Dogs ctOS app places people in the fictionalized-but-not-really-fictionalized version of Chicago where they are prompted to find players they know on a map and challenge them to reach four checkpoints within a time limit while you maniacally try to destroy them using anything at your dispense. Supposedly a person can die a couple of times and still keep playing, which means you'll really have to suspend your disbelief if you hadn't already.

Michael G Aronson in Ubisoft's Watch Dogs Cracked for Cash mission trailer

Ubisoft already released an app on September 2nd called "Wwatch Dogs Live" (a Canadian exclusive) where users were prompted to follow along in a regularly updated campaign that revolves around "increas[ing] the pressure on Michael G. Aronson and turn[ing] his plans into a pile of rubble." Aronson is the name of the CEO of MGA News Network in Watch Dogs' story, but I still feel pretty bad for the guy on LinkedIn with the same name. It's free-to-download and players can earn actual prizes like PS4s, headsets, gift cards and Frank & Oak clothing.

Our own Rob Keyes got something related to Watch Dogs in the mail - is it from the game's protagonist Aiden Pearce?

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WATCH DOGS Live was released on September 2nd, but The Watch Dogs ctOS Mobile App is currently unavailable and has no release date, although it can be assumed due to the fact that its a tie-in app that its release will likely correspond with the Watch Dogs console release.

On that note, Watch Dogs is set to hit shelves on November 19th for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and also for the PS4 and Xbox 1.

Follow Reuben on Twitter @Reubnick

Sources: Ubiblog, JoystiqPolygon, and The Android App Store.