UPDATE 8/17 5:50 EDT: Watch Dogs: Legion live producer Lathiesshe Thillainathan has confirmed that the crossover is fan service and is not considered canon.
Two of Ubisoft's biggest franchises will soon collide, with a sneaky Assassin's Creed character entering Watch Dogs: Legion's sci-fi version of London. Both open-world action series have been great successes for publisher Ubisoft, with Assassin's Creed tackling historical settings and events while Watch Dogs focuses on a near-future world ruled by smartphones and social media. Assassin's Creed's near-future plot, which acts as a backdrop to the franchise's historical stories, makes the connection with Watch Dogs possible.
There have been a number of subtle references which form connections between Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, even though the two series are officially set in their own distinct universes. The first Watch Dogs game, released back in 2014, features a mission in which protagonist Aiden Pierce is tasked with hunting down a man named Olivier Garneau. Fans who played Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, released the year prior, quickly recognized Garneau as the CCO of Abstergo Entertainment, the modern-day Templars hellbent on taking over the world and destroying the Assassin Brotherhood. Garneau takes a trip to Chicago, the setting of Watch Dogs, midway through Black Flag which sets up Pierce's mission to take him down. In October 2020, Ubisoft announced that an Assassin's Creed crossover DLC for Watch Dogs: Legion will add a new playable character, Darcy, who belongs to the fabled Assassin order.
A new Ubisoft trailer for Watch Dogs: Legion has shed more light on the game's upcoming Assassin's Creed DLC. The new playable character, Darcy, seems to embrace all of the Assassin Brotherhood's iconography as she sprints across rooftops wearing a white hood and hidden blade. The DLC is also said to feature two new story missions, and these appear to take place in typical Assassin's Creed locales like ancient tombs as well as advanced vaults. A voice-over appears to introduce the DLC's villain, a member of Assassin's Creed's antagonistic Templar Order. Darcy will be available in Watch Dogs: Legion starting August 24.
Ubisoft seems fully committed to supporting both the Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed franchises. Back in July, the Watch Dogs: Legion - Bloodline story DLC reintroduced protagonists Aiden Pierce and Wrench from prior installments in the franchise. The downloadable expansion left behind Legion's wide-open sandbox of endless playable characters in favor of a more intimate narrative focusing squarely on the returning characters.
The addition of Darcy to Watch Dogs: Legion seems to transcend a mere Easter egg for fans to enjoy. Instead, the upcoming DLC seems to act as a firm link between the ongoing narratives of Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed. For those looking to finally see the two Ubisoft juggernauts meet, or for those who simply enjoy clambering over rooftops and wielding a hidden blade, Darcy will make a fine addition to the vast Watch Dogs: Legion roster very soon.
Watch Dogs: Legion is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.
Source: Ubisoft/YouTube