The ESRB rating for Watch Dogs: Legion gives a hint just how dark and bleak the world has become.
It appears that Ubisoft is tweaking the formula a bit with Watch Dogs: Legion if the ESRB rating is anything to go by. Perhaps the most interesting entry in the list of reasons why the game will be rated M for mature is describing an organized crime event the player can come across: human-organ harvesting.
The rating summary states that players can come across “a human-organ harvesting operation” where they’ll find bodies “lying on tables/slabs amid bloodstained rags, surgical instruments, and severed hands or feet.” It’s a gruesome entry that suggests things have gotten a lot darker since Watch Dogs 2.
In Watch Dogs: Legion, London is under the thumb of two main villains - Mark Kelley who heads a powerful crime syndicate, and Nigel Cass who oversees the private military corporation, Albion. It’s unclear if the organ harvesting operation is tied to either of these factions. It could also be that the people of London are so desperate as a result of the oppressive regime and rampant crime they turn to black-market operations to get by.
It’s one example of how the game is looking to provide a unique experience compared to other titles from a story and narrative perspective. Another interesting detail gleaned from the ESRB rating is that there will be no nudity and the sexual themes have been toned down significantly.
Whereas previous titles featured nudity prominently through strip clubs, sex acts between characters, and topless women, Watch Dog Legions doesn’t have any nudity. It does portray sexual elements, such as the red-light district and sex shops the player can come across, but it’s a stark difference from the rest of the series.
It seems the new title could be leaning more into the bleaker aspects of war and crime rather than blatant salaciousness. By trading out topless women for organ harvesting operations, it would appear that Watch Dog Legions might be looking to become a grittier and more mature experience for its players.