Watch Dogs Legion's online multiplayer mode will release in just a few weeks, on March 9. Although it's a big deal for Watch Dogs Legion's immediate future, Ubisoft's long term goals for the game mode are a bit of a mystery. This seems like something that Ubisoft could either add to only modestly or expand constantly with huge regular updates. The latter seems like the more profitable avenue, so it may just be what Ubisoft settles on. Watch Dogs Legion isn't the only free-roam game whose multiplayer component vastly changes the game, though. Grand Theft Auto 5 is a good example of how adding online multiplayer totally changes the way the game is played.
There's a lot of similarities already in place between Watch Dogs Legion Online and Grand Theft Auto Online. For instance, both of them are sort of parallel to the story-driven single-player, and they also give players a lot of liberty to explore the game's setting. Players also band together to complete missions around the overworld and complete rewards. Some missions are just for fun and profit, while others have narrative elements. Watch Dogs Legion Online might be able to make great use out of long-term support from Ubisoft the same way that Grand Theft Auto Online has benefitted from Rockstar's devotion.
Online Longevity
Grand Theft Auto Online has survived because Rockstar keeps finding ways to entertain its fans. It's been adding things to GTA Online for the past seven years, and it doesn't look like it'll be stopping anytime soon. There's new updates every few months, and they're paying off. 2020 saw more players on Grand Theft Auto Online than ever before. Rockstar seems to have a keen sense for what players like about GTA and keeps capitalizing on it after all these years.
Watch Dogs isn't as old or prestigious a franchise as Grand Theft Auto, but it still has lore that Ubisoft can put to work. Fans have already done lots of speculating about how and when characters from Watch Dogs' past might show back up. If Ubisoft keeps finding new stories to tell about the conflict between DedSec and Albion, it'll eventually find opportunities to bring previous Watch Dogs characters into the game as a part of the ongoing battle. Ubisoft could also come up with more meaningful ways to build DedSec's strength in the online mode. It'd be great to have a customizable base, put unused DedSec agents to work, and so on.
A High-Tech Take
The biggest obstacle to Watch Dogs Legion Online developing to the caliber of GTA Online is its number of players. It's only designed for four players at once, whereas GTA Online can support 30 players running around San Andreas at once. That's a huge discrepancy, especially considering the fact that Watch Dogs Legion's London has more than enough room for a ton of players. It seems more designed for small groups of friends to play together. Maybe this will eventually expand, and Ubisoft will let players form small parties by choosing teammates out of a greater pool of players.
Even if the party size remains small, though, that shouldn't stop Ubisoft from adding more missions to Watch Dogs Legion Online, especially missions like Tactical Ops that play on fans' investment in the world, expand on the lore of this dystopian London, and find ways to encourage teamwork through hacking and stealth. That's what the game needs. Watch Dogs Legion has the foundation for lots of good storytelling, so Ubisoft shouldn't stop with what the multiplayer mode offers at launch. Grand Theft Auto Online has been entertaining its fans for years by sticking true to the lawless action that fans love. If Ubisoft does the same for Watch Dogs Legion, the franchise's strength could carry multiplayer just as far.
Watch Dogs Legion is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Watch Dogs Legion Online will release as a free update on March 9.