Watch Dogs was about surveillance, but Watch Dogs 2 is about big data
Watch Dogs 2 taps another vein of real world concern.
The latest Watch Dogs 2 developer diary takes a closer look at the story and characters.
As well as providing more details about the people and world of Watch Dogs 2, the video makes an interesting comparison with the first game: where Watch Dogs 1 was about surveillance and privacy invasion, Watch Dogs 2 is about big data and what corporations do with it.
So we've kind of escalated from harvesting your information to how it is used. You've accepted that you're being tracked from site to site as you browse the Internet, but now you're - I don't know, being psychologically manipulated by targeted advertising because you can't be not on full alert against marketing wiles every second of the day, or something. The stakes are a lot higher in the cyberpunk fiction of Watch Dogs 2, of course.
Watch Dogs 2 launches in November for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. This is the third entry in its pre-release developer diary series; check out the Watch Dogs 2 archives for more.
Watch Dogs 2 is Ubisoft's big holiday release this year, in the absence of Assassin's Creed and Far Cry - which might skip next year, too. The original was definitely a hit despite all the downgrade grumbling, so don't be surprised if this turns into another flagship franchise.