I played DriveClub before it was actually out to the public – and I actually quite liked it, despite generally hating racing games, mostly because I’m notoriously terrible at them. Still, I liked it – and I found it rather a pity that after the game was released, it fell apart. In fact, it’s had one of the most disastrous launches in all of videogames, echoed only by Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s lack of functional matchmaking. Even Assassin’s Creed Unity took less time to start working.
Its servers buckled under the weight of real live players, makings its online features moot. The game works now, and after a few patches is actually a pretty good, exceptionally good-looking game. That doesn’t really matter now though – it’s all a case of too little, too late. The one thing that could make DriveClub relevant again is the promised “free” edition of the game for PlayStation Plus members. Only it might not happen.
Speaking to Metro, Sony Computer Entertainment’s European president and CEO Jim Ryan said that the company can’t guarantee that the free PlayStation Plus edition of Evolution Studio’s DriveClub will actually ever see the light of day.
Here’s a transcription:
Metro: And… is there still going to be the free PlayStation Plus version?
Jim Ryan: That’s still being looked at.
Metro: You can’t guarantee that it will ever happen?
Jim Ryan: I can’t say anything at this stage.
That’s not reassuring. DriveClub was originally planned to be a launch title for the PlayStation 4 – but ended up being delayed. It was released in October last year after a bout of delays, ad meant to be released alongside a generous free version of the game available to PlayStation Plus Subscribers. That may never actually be released.
The biggest issue now is that people, I’d assume, have stopped caring – despite the PS4 dearly needing a racing game worth playing. Project Cars was meant to be that game, but it’s been delayed too.
Sony’s since said that the free edition hasn’t been cancelled – but that they have no timeline available.
“We are continually working on improving the server capacity to enable us to launch the PS Plus Edition as quickly as possible,” a Sony spokesperson told Eurogamer.“Although currently we do not have an update regarding the timing for the launch.”
Last Updated: February 24, 2015
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:05
ZZZZZZzzzzzzz
Reminds me FORZA 4 is R199 plays at 60fps and lets you to play your own track list. SOLD.
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:06
voop voop
Admiral Chief
February 24, 2015 at 12:24
Seems legit, I see you are second last, yup, seems legit
😛
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:27
I am waiting for my wheels to warm up, and I only have one pit stop strategy.
Reminds me, where the fcuk are the PIT STOPS these days?
Admiral Chief
February 24, 2015 at 12:29
I’d like to have the fuel management system that these cars seem to have.
ALWAYS FULL BABY!!!
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:31
I loved those Endurance races in FORZA 3. After 2hours and 30minutes of racing I came first by only 25seconds. Comming out the pit stops to be ahead of the field by 5 seconds from the previous hot lap was awesome.
All this arcade rubbish designed for on-line play is RUBBISH.
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 12:46
You don’t need fuel stops when your engine is only 1000cc
Admiral Chief
February 24, 2015 at 12:47
I’m assuming oVg has this…small package?
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 12:49
As in, he needs more grip when it gets wet? 0_O
Admiral Chief
February 24, 2015 at 12:58
[CHANGES THE SUBJECT IMMEDIATELY]
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 12:36
Own MP3s on PS4? RUNS
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:38
Ya WTF?
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 12:40
You gotta PAY for that boy!
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:40
Via SONY music store.
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 12:45
But the Apps available! *No music, DVD, function available at present. PAY MOAR!
WitWolfy
February 24, 2015 at 14:32
What you guys talking about? You can play MP3’s on PS4 ever since OFW 2.0. Thought this is general knowledge?
RinceThis
February 24, 2015 at 14:47
Not while you play games last I heard? Could be wrong? Still issue of playing MP4s though.
WitWolfy
February 24, 2015 at 14:50
This dude says otherwise…
Sir Faulty
February 24, 2015 at 12:07
To call the launch of the game a disaster is an understatement. I am sure that launch killed off any goodwill it had been generating before the wheels fell of the thing. I returned the game to BT games eventually as I was getting no joy out of it.
Is the game still severely broken or is it at least in a playable state now? I kinda stopped caring about it, totally forgetting about the game until I read this article.
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:08
Game is fine but a total snore fest if you have no friends like me. I was never one for CLUBS hence why I spent my childhood in my mothers basement playing videogames.
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 24, 2015 at 12:10
That’s cute, he stills thinks being kept in the basement was his own choice. *run*
oVg
February 24, 2015 at 12:12
http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ulgglglglgughlgh.gif
BurnZ
February 24, 2015 at 12:13
I got my copy when i bought the PS4 1 year birthday special. Don’t find many issues with and it seems pretty stable while playing on line, but have to admit i have not put too much time in it.
Corrie
February 24, 2015 at 12:16
Seems sony love’s to over promise…honestly don’t seem how hard it is to make a free version
Aries
February 24, 2015 at 12:18
They might as well give us the whole game on PS+ the way this is going
Francois Knoetze
February 24, 2015 at 12:40
Got back into playing the game over the weekend and everything is running smooth at least. no issues and it feels a lot more solid after all the track add ons and new cars etc. Will put Forza Horizon 2 on hold for a bit.
Matthew Holliday
February 24, 2015 at 12:50
I dunno, I played it at a friends house on his ps4 and the picture in the header is infinitely better looking than the game is in reality. thought the cars were ok, but lacked the shine and polish, and the landscpaes were so damned arcadelike, flat and underdetailed.
I was pretty disappointed by it.
Geoffrey Tim
February 24, 2015 at 12:51
When? It looks a whole lot different now than it did at launch. So much has been patched in to it, that it actually looks like a different game.
Matthew Holliday
February 24, 2015 at 12:56
apparently its just the 5gb china/japan map pack he hasnt done.
to be fair, i didnt play that much of it, 2 races and that was it, so i may have missed a few things, but what I experienced 2 weeks ago didnt feel all that polished.
Hammersteyn
February 24, 2015 at 12:51
Don’t care, broken game broken promises. Project Cars hopefully wont be such a disappointment.
VoiceInYourHead
February 24, 2015 at 12:59
“….forza….forza….forza…..”
Hammersteyn
February 24, 2015 at 13:01
Which voice? I have many
Pieter Kruger
February 24, 2015 at 12:53
It wasn’t the servers, they already said that no? Had it been it would’ve been a simple fix but the coding was shite! And not releasing the promised f2p edition? Just another Sony 180! But wait, watch them give it away for free at E3 2015…..AGAIN! ROFL! ????????????
FoxOneZA
February 24, 2015 at 13:11
Bleh… Forza M and Forza Horizon is where it’s at :p
WitWolfy
February 24, 2015 at 14:26
dudes please believe me when I say forget about DriveClub, this game is really not that great. Its beautiful sure. But its just so terrible… The handling is terrible, the content is meh, the community is much smaller then expected and seen more trade ins at BTGames to make one think it didnt live up to the hype.
If you want a beautiful racing game, wait for Project Cars. This game can go die a slow death for all I care. Worse arcade racing game EVER!