If there’s one thing at the core of my upbringing that’s made me the person I am today, it’s growing up in the city of London. I love this town, for all its beauty and ugliness, and I think of it like a trusted friend. So when I learned that the next videogame in the Watch Dogs series was going to be set in a gritty day-after-tomorrow version of my city, I was on it, fam.
Watch Dogs: Legion is out on October 29th on all major platforms, and casts you the player as part of Dedsec, a street-level hacktivist collective fighting the oppressive factions intent on taking the city for themselves… But London doesn’t like bully-boys, mate, so they’re due for a snouting. This ace cinematic trailer gives you a feel for what to expect…
But before Legion drops, you’ll be able to read Day Zero, an original prequel novel co-written by me and my highly talented colleague Josh Reynolds, published by the folks at Aconyte Books in their first collaborative endeavour with game publishers Ubisoft.
A secretive resistance movement is the last line of defence in this heart-pounding prequel to 2020’s most-anticipated video game release, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion.
Something very bad is going down in London town…
Bike messenger and wannabe troublemaker Olly Soames is the newest recruit to DedSec’s hacktivist legion, but when a stranger is shot dead in front of him, he realizes that danger is closer than he thinks…
Sara Lincoln is an aggressive young politician with questionable methods and big ambitions, and when a string of murders unfolds in her borough, it may be the opportunity she has been looking for to make a name for herself…
Ex-MMA fighter turned leg-breaker Ro Hayes is in deep with the vicious Clan Kelley, the most brutal gang in the city’s underworld, and her survival rests on uncovering a dead man’s secrets…
And for Danny, Ro’s estranged brother and former soldier, his new career with private military contractor Albion is leading him down a dark road toward choices he may never be able to take back…
Four lives are drawn into a murderous conspiracy that threatens to destroy Dedsec and plunge the city of London into chaos…
And only they can stop the countdown to Day Zero…
I really enjoyed working on Day Zero, and not just because I got to kick a cool story around the Big Smoke! It was great to team up with Josh Reynolds for the first time (check out his website Here); we’ve previously worked alongside one another on the Warhammer 40,000 line, and his stuff is excellent – he’s written everything from Don Pendleton’s Executioner novels to Legends of the Five Rings, Arkham Horror and his own Royal Occultist series. Day Zero is also my first project with Aconyte Books (learn more about them Here) and a chance to work with one of my editorial heroes, Marc Gascoigne, for the first time in a good few years!
Watch Dogs: Legion – Day Zero releases first (and somewhat fittingly) in a digital eBook edition on October 13th, and you can pre-order it Here to read the story that leads into Legion’s opening scenes. The dead-tree edition follows on November 3rd, and you can find that version Here.
For more information about Watch Dogs: Legion, visit the official Ubisoft website by following This Link.
