Watch Dogs sequel coming before April 2017, says Ubisoft

A new Watch Dogs game is coming within the next year or so, Ubisoft confirmed today in the earnings release for the third quarter of its 2015-16 fiscal year.

Ubisoft laid out its plans for its 2016-17 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2016, through March 31, 2017. The publisher's slate includes For Honor, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, South Park: The Fractured But Whole and "the next installment of Watchdogs [sic]," according to the earnings release. Ubisoft did not provide any details on platforms, or an official title for the sequel.

In addition, Ubisoft said it has an unannounced game in its schedule for the year: "a new high-potential AAA brand with strong digital live services." Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed during an earnings call that the game in question is a new IP.

Kotaku reported last month that a sequel to Watch Dogs would be released "later this year." The game takes place in San Francisco, according to Kotaku's sources. The original Watch Dogs, which was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and was set in Chicago, debuted in May 2014.

Ubisoft also announced today that the Assassin's Creed franchise is taking the year off; the publisher won't release a new Assassin's Creed title until 2017. The follow-up to Watch Dogs could replace an Assassin's Creed game as Ubisoft's major release of the fall season.