Ubisoft has detailed some of the pre-order bonuses for its GTA-style, Chicago-based hackfest Watch Dogs, with exclusive single-player missions and goodies available from Amazon and GameStop.

Read more: A new rifle, extra cash, and new missions »

Four and a half years ago, Ubisoft gave a simple, but daunting, mandate to its Montreal studio: make a new IP. And so, the team began work on "Nexus," the codename for what's now known as Watch Dogs.

With the freedom to create whatever they wanted, the team at Ubisoft Montreal flocked to the open world genre. "The two core things we knew from the beginning of our project was we wanted to create a new IP. That was the mandate we got from Ubisoft. And we wanted to be an open-world game because we think that's a great way to start a brand," senior producer Dominic Guay told Shacknews.

Read more: 'Reality is catching up to us'»

When Watch Dogs made its sudden and surprising debut at E3 last year, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by it. It's not often that a game--seemingly as ambitious as this one, at that--can take the entire industry by surprise. What was Watch Dogs?

After seeing 30 minutes of the game in action, I have to admit that much of the mystery is gone. It's very clear what Watch Dogs is: it's Ubisoft's take on Grand Theft Auto, with a magical hacking twist.

Read more: GTA with cell phones »

Ubisoft's Watch Dogs has been signaling the next generation since before it was even officially announced. Now that the company got confirming it for PlayStation 4 out of the way, it can start to open up about the features that will take advantage of the increased horsepower.

Read more: More detailed cities, surprising multiplayer »

Ubisoft's next big original AAA IP is set to launch this November. On November 19th, Watch Dogs will be available on all current-gen consoles and PC. (Next-gen versions will be dated later, as PS4 has no release date and the next Xbox hasn't been announced yet.)

To coincide with the announcement, Ubisoft has released a new trailer for the game, showing off more gameplay from the open world hack 'em up. And of course, there's the requisite retailer-exclusive pre-order bonus. By getting the game at GameStop, you'll get an exclusive poster.

Watch: Going 'out of control' »

Ubisoft hasn't earned the best reputation on PC, with the publisher often releasing games late on the platform. However, Watch Dogs looks to turn things around. According to CEO CEO Yves Guillemot, the game's lead platform is PC, which means that the console versions--including the newly-announced PlayStation 4 iteration--will be ports of the PC title.

Read more: 'Now we develop from the PC' »

Ubisoft had hinted at a Wii U edition of open-world hack 'em up Watch Dogs before, but only formally confirmed it last night alongside the announcement of a PlayStation 4 version. No, obviously it didn't drop this news during Sony's big shindig, but in a press release afterwards.

Watch: Last night's swish demo »

Tonight at Sony's PlayStation 4 presentation, Ubisoft and Activision each took the stage to confirm their respective next-gen games for the system. Both Watch Dogs and Bungie's Destiny are coming to Sony's console.

Watch: Destiny and Watch Dogs trailers »

Ever since we first saw Watch Dogs at Ubisoft's 2012 E3 press conference, rumors have been swirling that it's a next-gen console game. The developer has played it straight, confirming the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but it seems we could be in for a transitional release.

Read more: 'All home consoles' this holiday season »

There's a lot to be excited for in 2013, and the Shacknews staff each have five games on their radar. The editorial team at Shacknews outlines their most anticipated games of 2013 individually, starting with staff writer and indie expert Jeff Mattas.

Read more: Jeff's picks for 2013 »

Watch Dogs stunned many when it made a surprise appearance at E3 this year. The ambitious third-person open-world shooter had some rather creative ideas--and it was quite the looker, to say the least. And although Ubisoft is still hiring for the game's development team, the French publisher is aiming to have the game ready by 2013.

Watch: that trailer again »

Ubisoft is beefing up its Watch Dogs development team, and is using the impressive E3 look at the game as part of its recruitment efforts. A new video splices pieces of the well-regarded walkthrough with testimonials from Ubisoft staff, who talk up what a swell job it is.

Watch: Game as promotion for game development »

As far as marketing ironies go, leaking private information in effort of promoting a game about digital privacy concerns has to be high on the list. Such is the case with Watch Dogs, which has Ubisoft a bit red-faced after an effort to promote the game resulted in at least 1,000 fans having their e-mail addresses shared.

Read more: ARG leads to e-mail kerfuffle »

Hyperviolence was all the rage at this year's E3. However, only one hyperviolent game could take the crown. The Game Critics Awards have finally been determined, and Naughty Dog has come on top with The Last of Us. Its strong performance pushed PS3 to the top of the heap, with PS3 as the most-winning platform. Sony Computer Entertainment is the most-winning publisher as well, with 7 awards.

Read more: The complete winners list »

Watch Dogs captured a lot of attention at E3, based partly on being one of the only big surprises at the show. Ubisoft seems to have ambitious plans for the new franchise, even including the possibility of a movie. A set of domain names could hint at game tie-in plans.

Read more: Ubisoft may involve film division »