The multiplayer component of Watch Dogs will have an element of player invasion, though its overall extent and direction has yet to be described by Ubisoft. Dominic Guay, Senior Producer at Ubisoft Montreal, insisted that the game can be played "completely offline if you want." (Expect to hear that protection phrase often in the wake of SimCity.)

In multiplayer, Watch Dogs will use the near-future version of Chicago just as it is in single-player. "We are not making any compromises in terms of dynamism or interactivity," Guay said at a San Francisco press event earlier this week. Connecting with other players will be seamless in the developer's attempt "to start breaching the wall in action-adventure between single- and multiplayer."

As an example of how players will commandeer elements of the city in play, Guay pointed to the E3 2012 demonstration of Watch Dogs: it concluded with another character hacking the protagonist's phone to plant a virus. In February, the game made an appearance at the PlayStation 4 unveiling event, and there the player was watched by someone who had hacked the local security cameras. Is there an apt term for someone who engages in voyeurism ... vicariously?

Guay also discussed the "mobile extension" of Watch Dogs, a companion app that's been in development for more than a year alongside the primary game. You'll be able to play some form of Watch Dogs on your smartphone, and interact with console players running around their respective cities. Doing so from the real Chicago, wearing your finest trench coat, will likely generate a cosplay singularity.