‘Watch Dogs Legion’ Multiplayer Mode Delayed Indefinitely On PC Due To Bugs
Ubisoft announced via Twitter that the highly-anticipated multiplayer mode for Watch Dogs Legion is indefinitely delayed for PC. Console players, however, can still play the mode starting March 9 as planned.
A message from the Watch Dogs: Legion team about the Online Mode: pic.twitter.com/VVeaZ7v7yb
— Watch Dogs: Legion (@watchdogsgame) March 5, 2021
In the several announcements, Ubisoft says that the mode’s PC release has been indefinitely delayed. General online play will be available to console players on March 9, but the co-operational Tactical Ops mode is delayed to March 23 for console players.
In a quote response, Ubisoft clarifies even further.
Online is launching March 9 on consoles, but is delayed on PC. Tactical Op is coming out on March 23rd.
— Watch Dogs: Legion (@watchdogsgame) March 5, 2021
Responses have been mostly positive toward Ubisoft’s transparent approach to the delay. Delays generally aren’t good for a company’s bottom line, but they are generally good for a consumer’s experience with the final product. When corporate timelines outweigh developer’s abilities, games get rushed out the door worse off than they ought to be. Developers themselves often have little say about their products release. Unexpected bugs or problems in development usually mean the developer works an unhealthy number of hours, rather than the game’s release getting pushed back.
The games industry ought to be more accountable for the well-being of those who make games. The corporate video game structure both helps and hurts the industry. While corporate structures allow developers to work in concert and make more complicated and advanced games in less time, those projects become ridiculously expensive. Those expenses mean large companies like Electronic Arts or Ubisoft are forced to become subservient to a board or investors who have the ultimate say on a game’s direction and release. The more levels of separation between a developer and a decision-maker, the less humanely they are treated.