Raymond Kenney

Lore & Background

Raymond Kenney was a lead engineer at Blume Corporation, where he designed the core operating system for ctOS—a network meant to streamline infrastructure but quickly twisted into a tool for mass surveillance and control. Haunted by the system's role in a catastrophic blackout that killed thousands, including his own team, Kenney went underground. Adopting the alias 'T-Bone,' he became a fugitive, using his skills to sabotage Blume's operations and expose their abuses, all while evading the hunters he helped create.

In Their Own Story

In Watch Dogs, Kenney is a ghost—hunted by both Aiden Pearce and the criminal underworld for his role in the 2003 Northeast blackout, which he caused as a protest against ctOS. He later aids Pearce in dismantling the corrupt system. By Watch Dogs 2, an older, wearier Kenney lives in a cluttered Oakland junkyard, surrounded by the debris of his past. When DedSec's young hackers come calling, he reluctantly returns to action, offering gritty mentorship and technical genius while wrestling with the sins of his creation and the scars of a life on the run.

Reader's Guide

Raymond Kenney was created by Ubisoft as a morally complex anchor for the Watch Dogs universe. In the first game, he starts as a mysterious antagonist whose motivations slowly unravel, mirroring the narrative's focus on technology's unintended fallout. For Watch Dogs 2, the developers brought him back as a playable character in the 'Human Conditions' DLC, letting players step into his worn boots. This shift from foe to ally reflects the series' tonal pivot from grim revenge to a more irreverent hacker collective story. Kenney's grizzled, older-hacker-with-a-conscience design was influenced by real-world whistleblowers and the archetype of the 'retired' engineer. His backstory about the blackout was inspired by growing fears over critical infrastructure vulnerabilities—a theme that hit home amid contemporary debates on cybersecurity and privacy.

Did You Know?

• Raymond Kenney's alias 'T-Bone' is a reference to his favorite food, T-bone steaks, as mentioned in his in-game bio.
• He is one of the few characters to appear in both Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2, bridging the two games' narratives.
• Kenney's design was inspired by real-world hackers and engineers, with his appearance evolving to show age and weariness in Watch Dogs 2.
• In Watch Dogs 2, Kenney's junkyard hideout is filled with Easter eggs referencing his past, including a model of the ctOS tower from the first game.