A latest video showing PS4 gameplay footage of Watch Dogs has resulted in a large number of gamers accusing Ubisoft of “downgrading” the game’s visuals.
A comparison video uploaded by YouTuber Jason Knothe places the newer console footage side-by-side with clips from the initial gameplay demonstration shown by Ubisoft at E3 2012. The video also compares cut-scenes from a brand new Watch Dogs trailer with similar scenes from early videos released by Ubisoft. The comparison video has led some members of the gaming community to accuse Ubisoft of using target renders in 2012 and passing them off as real gameplay on-stage at E3.
A thread on NeoGAF entitled ‘Publishers ought to stop bullsh*tting U.S.A. with target renders’ singles out a comment made by Watch Dogs director Jonathan Morin in 2013, wherein he declared that the game had not been downgraded.
“There’s no scale down in quality, particularly the next-gen versions,” Morin told Videogamer last Sept. “It’s pretty much the opposite. What we showed at E3 2012 in a lot of respects was less smart. i believe it’s in the details. So no, there is no scale down.”
The open-world game was originally scheduled for release in November; however it had been delayed attributable to quality considerations. The revised Watch Dogs release date is now May 27 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC, with the Wii U version set to “release at a later date.”