Aiden Pearce of the original Watch Dogs game was a stereotypical “forced hero” of video games. He had a loss to avenge. He was angry. He was broody. He’s been in nearly every video game under the sun. And Aiden Pearce would not have fit in with San Francisco like he did Chicago.
Watch Dogs 2 creative director Jonathan Morin visited San Francisco himself, the new setting for the Watch Dogs sequel. He told PCGamesN in an interview that it didn’t take long to realize that San Fran needed a completely different hero to fight the hacktivist fight against the ctOS. Morin talked to various companies in Silicon Valley, “listened to all of the vibes” of the region, and rapidly determined that they needed someone younger and less bent on revenge.
Instead, Marcus is the subject of someone whom ctOS racially profiled and linked to crimes he did not commit. At the ripe age of 24, he joins DedSec, the series’ hacktivist collective, and is enjoying ruining all of ctOS’ plans. Unlike Aiden, Marcus is actually having fun. Morin further elaborated the creative process behind forming Marcus:
I wanted to bring [in] this ‘everything is possible’ type of attitude that happens in California. For the first time, he’s with other people who understand what he wants, who understand how these things work. They see an opportunity in exposing the truth to people and making a difference.
Also, since the Bay Area is the home and birthplace of most social media, it only made sense that the protagonist fit the age someone would be if they were extremely prolific on social media. It’s hard to imagine (albeit rather humorous) how Aiden Pearce would interact on Twitter or Facebook. Whereas Aiden exposed the level of surveillance inflicted upon Chicago, Marcus will expose what ctOS does with San Fran’s social media information.
In addition, since Watch Dogs 2 will not have the reputation system, players can really be free with how Marcus reacts to what he discovers and how he will use it. Now players can hack everything and take whatever route they wish without judgment from the game, which really separates Marcus from Aiden’s rather linear progression.
Watch Dogs 2 will release for PlayStation 4 on November 15, 2016.
[Source: PCGAmesN]
