Watch Dogs Legion is a great open-world stealth action-adventure for both current and next-gen consoles. So how do you freshen it up, let alone improve upon it? We’re not quite sure about the verdict on the improving it part yet (we’ve only just started to play the new DLC), but there’s no doubt that adding zombies into the mix will at least freshen up the action. Enter Watch Dogs: Legion of the Dead, the biggest and certainly most surprising part of Title Update 4.5. It will be available tomorrow, June 1.
As you can see in the 22-minute gameplay video above, it turns Watch Dogs into an undead-fighting PvE roguelite for up to four players. The development team wants to make it clear that this new mode is in alpha, and as such it will continue to be tweaked and evolved based on community feedback. We caught up with Watch Dogs Legion online director Jean-Pascal Cambiotti to find out more about Legion of the Dead.
[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/28/watch-dogs-legion-review”]
IGN: Zombie modes in non-zombie games seem to be popular nowadays (arguably started by Call of Duty). What is it about zombies that make them so much fun in practically any game?
Jean-Pascal: I think there’s something inherently fun about playing with zombies, beyond the instant gratification of destroying them. We were inspired by the multiple portrayals of zombies across popular culture, and in the game, we made the decision to make zombies slower but lethal. They can be used as a gameplay tool to create chaos by luring them into fortified Albion layouts while you sneak in and save your precious ammo for another fight.
IGN: Could Legion of the Dead ever spin out into its own game if it proves popular enough?
Jean-Pascal: The design strategy on Watch Dogs: Legion of the Dead was to expand on existing systems and flip them on its head – like creating a rogue-lite approach with Watch Dogs: Legion’s unique gadgets. We want to keep an open line of communication with the community and see where they want to take the game mode next.
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IGN: Similarly, what is the metric of success internally for this content? What will the team be watching for?
Jean-Pascal: We want players to have fun using different strategies and feel like there’s always something different to try. That’s why we’re starting small, and plan to update the game frequently so we can react to things like adjusting the difficulty level based on the feedback we get.
IGN: Are there any Easter eggs in here that players should watch out for? Either about Watch Dogs stuff or larger pop-culture stuff?
Jean-Pascal: You’ll have to play to find out!
[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/09/watch-dogs-legion-online-mode-launch-trailer”]
IGN: At any point did you ever consider calling this “Watch Dogs Lesion”? Because in a mode about zombies that seems like a missed opportunity…
Jean-Pascal: Where were you when we were deciding on the title?! But folks who are pretty good at that sort of thing helped make that call 🙂.