Other players joining can’t immediately just attack you so ”you can’t be spammed”, but acting aggressively in other people’s games changes that. It’s entirely our choice.
The idea behind Watch Dogs freeroaming multiplayer is to let others help or hinder us as we go about our day, which includes hacking one another or items around us.
”All the online activities are just part of the menu,” Belanger said during a live stream. ”They’re a choice. But if someone is not into that…. they can totally turn it off.” Ubisoft aren’t leaving us defenceless against those who just want to grief our games, but of course we could just prevent them coming in any way, or only permit friends.
”There’s something important called the shield. If someone comes into your game, they can’t come in right after so you can’t be spammed in that way - unless you become aggressive and you start going into other people’s games, then you really become available. But it’s just a player choice in the end.”
The multiplayer portion of the game isn’t really about running and gunning but carries a ‘hide-n-seek’ focus, where remaining anonymous and hacking from the shadows is key to a successful intrusion - not brute force. Ubisoft has confirmed that up to eight players will be able to inhabit a single game world.
Watch Dogs releases on PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4 May 27th. The recorded live stream is below.