Ubisoft confirms old Watch Dogs code in PC version, mod has negative impacts

Ubisoft has finally responded to the discovery of older build code in the PC version of Watch Dogs. We think you won’t like to hear it.

TLDR, they confirm that the old code is in there. They also claim using the mod that enables this code has adverse effects to the game’s performance. Ubi’s full statement is below:

The dev team is completely dedicated to getting the most out of each platform, so the notion that we would actively downgrade quality is contrary to everything we’ve set out to achieve. We test and optimize our games for each platform on which they’re released, striving for the best possible quality. The PC version does indeed contain some old, unused render settings that were deactivated for a variety of reasons, including possible impacts on visual fidelity, stability, performance and overall gameplay quality. Modders are usually creative and passionate players, and while we appreciate their enthusiasm, the mod in question (which uses those old settings) subjectively enhances the game’s visual fidelity in certain situations but also can have various negative impacts. Those could range from performance issues, to difficulty in reading the environment in order to appreciate the gameplay, to potentially making the game less enjoyable or even unstable.

So, the question now arises; could Ubisoft patch the PC version to bring these effects back, with overall game stability? Would they do it, or will Ubi opt for that ‘consistency’ argument? We’re hoping for the former, but it seems doubtful at the moment. Share your thoughts in the comments below.