Even though the game was originally scheduled as an early launch title for the PS4 (and later delayed ‘till May 27 th ), that doesn’t mean that the system didn’t work perfectly for creating a game like Watch_Dogs . In fact, the developers can’t seem to sing its praises enough.
When speaking with the PlayStation.Blog, animation directory Colin Graham revealed that no matter what they threw at the system, they simply never ran into problem that many animators commonly face; memory shortage. “PS4 has really given us the platform to build a new type of game. It gave us a chance to dream. From an animation point of view, we’re always running out of memory, especially when you start developing towards the end of a console generation, so PS4 allowed things like reduced animation compression and more variety in civilians.” He explains.
Graham goes on to compare working with the next-gen console to having VERY deep financial pockets, equating it to “…an unlimited budget because we can’t fill the memory budget on PS4. It’s a really nice piece of hardware.”
Danny Belanger (lead gameplay designer) adds that “The powerful technology helped us create a better simulation. The water effects, the amount of people in the city, the quality of the lighting… it all brings us a step forward,” when describing the sheer horsepower of the machine.
Remember, Watch_Dogs is not just a PlayStation exclusive however, as it will be available for both Microsoft and PC systems as well (with a Wii U version arriving some time down the line).