The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of Ubisoft’s upcoming open-world title Watch Dogs will operate at thirty frames per second, according to creative director Jonathan Morin. Speaking with VideoGamer during the Eurogamer Expo event, Morin stated that the studio is aiming for visual consistency and a level of performance that will minimise the risk of visible lag.
Here’s a snippet of what he had to say:
“Right now the frame rate we’re focusing on [is] a steady 30 [FPS]. There’s always a balance, especially for open world, between the simulation and the rest. I think for where we are, the most important thing is the steadiness and [ensuring] that it’s always capped the same so when you play it it feels right.”
Moreover, Morin wasn’t able to confirm whether or not the native resolution for Ubisoft’s cross-gen title will be 720p or 1080p. With that said, though the framerate for Watch Dogs on next-gen hardware may be locked at 30 FPS – whereas titles such as Battlefield 4 and Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes will achieve sixty frames per second – Ubisoft are clearly opting for consistency over increased responsiveness. Given that Aiden Pearce’s crime opus takes place in a vast open world, it seems logical for the studio to target stability and prevent any notable chugging.
Speaking of Watch Dog’s setting, Morin also weighed Ubisoft’s near-future sandbox to Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V:
“One thing I wanted to promote with Watch Dogs was density, a lot more than scale “We have a big city but one thing a lot of games aren’t exploring is the shared density of it. [In Watch Dogs] you can stand still and profile people for ten minutes – you’re playing without moving, almost. I think that’s even more important to me than just adding size to it. I don’t want size just becoming a space between A and B. We have a huge world but it’s more about the density.”
With that in mind, Morin went on to confirm that the game will ship with two discs, “the same as GTA [5].” Additionally, though he didn’t openly confirm it, we assume that he is referring to the Xbox 360 and Wii U versions of Watch Dogs. In conclusion, the creative director hinted towards the game’s unannounced multiplayer modes, which will duly be revealed closer to the November release date.
Watch Dogs will launch for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U, PS3 on November 19th and November 22nd in North America and Europe, respectively. The studio has confirmed that the game will be available at launch for PlayStation 4, too. Until then, though, let us know whether you’ll be picking up a current-gen or next-gen version of the open-world title in the comments.
