Ubisoft Montreal has revealed that in order to develop the character of Aiden Pearce, the protagonist hacker in the company upcoming Watch Dogs title, Ubisoft took note of several real life hackers and “specialists” so that the character could be as realistic as possible.
Cinematic animation lead Lars Bonde, alongside lead gameplay programmer Eric Baillargeon, when asked about interviewing hackers for the groundwork related to the game in an interview with OXM, Bonde stated, “There has been something like that. Not directly from us, but there has been research as befits our main character. There have been some ‘specialists’ we've looked at, depending on what life they've lived - there's a specialist I'm using over in Montreal that is used to certain ‘types’ of living.”
“We investigated the subject with him, and I had our art lead work with him to work out the kind of life he's led, and give our actors some inspiration.”
While this may not seem as something big related to the game as compared to the several leaks and speculations found all over the Internet, there have been a few fans who have wondered if they will be able to step in the shoes of a real life hacker (the authenticity of the game).
Additionally, on asked if the game will arrive on the front foot after some fans and critics managed to draw up comparisons with other games from Ubisoft such as Far Cry 3, Bonde explained: “We have to treat some of the comparisons as inevitable. It's not really that controversial to say there are certain features that remind you of another game, like some of the games you talked about - there are great games out there, so that's flattery as well. But on top of that, we want go bring our own originality.”
Baillargeon, on the same page, said: “People talk about the navigation system in the game as being familiar - we implemented that because we needed it. There are people on the team who have experience with that kind of system, but we really built it for Watch Dogs, and the vision we have for the game.”
Watch Dogs is currently set for a Nov. 19 release for the North American market.
