Watch Dogs 2 is set to feature a much greater emphasis on hacking than the original game did, offering a wide array of options for the player to compromise information or gain the edge against enemies. In consideration of this, Ubisoft Montreal is gearing up to host an actual, yet controlled, hacking competition in promotion of the new game.
Major League Hacking, an organization that empowers over 65,000 students to uncover and create solutions for cyber security flaws, recently announced their recent partnership with Ubisoft Montreal in promotion of Watch Dogs 2 for a series of Fall 2016 hackathons. In the spirit of the game, hackers are tasked with creating projects that will utilize regular smart phones to demonstrate how easily data privacy can be compromised. Winning teams will receive a free copy of Watch Dogs 2 for each member.
Even further, the Major League Hacking and Ubisoft will host special Capture the Flag events in which participants will be tasked with discovering security vulnerabilities in a simulated environment. Fastest completion of the level 1 challenge will also score copies of Watch Dogs 2. At the end of the hackathon season, the student with the fastest completion of all three levels of the CTF challenge will receive a trip to Ubisoft Montreal studios.
It’s an interesting promotion to say the least, as Major League Hacking’s goal is an altruistic approach to locating and sealing cybersecurity holes. Bringing this into context alongside Watch Dogs 2’s hacker-centric gameplay seems like a pretty clever way to promote it, as long as the event is as controlled an environment as can be. Good luck to all participants.
