DriveClub is nearing the end of the road, it seems. A new notice on PlayStation's official website states that the racing game will be delisted from the 31st August 2019, meaning that it'll no longer be sold on the PlayStation Store. That goes for DriveClub, DriveClub Bikes, DriveClub VR, and all DLC associated with DriveClub.
On top of that, the game's servers will be shut down on the 31st March, 2020. You'll still be able to play the offline portions of the release, but all the online functionality -- the multiplayer, challenges, events, and leaderboards -- will be lost.
It's an announcement that leaves a bitter taste, because DriveClub did eventually blossom into a top quality racing title. It received stellar support from developer Evolution Studios before the company was closed back in 2016. It's incredibly unfortunate that the game was never quite able to shake the negativity that had surrounded its shoddy launch in 2014 -- first impressions always count for a lot in this rather unforgiving industry.
What do you make of this? Go for a drive in the comments section below.
[source playstation.com]
Comments 89
Bummer. Offline works. Cant really complain after 6 years and a busted launch. I still dream of a new Motorstorm.
WOW - after such a short time?? So much for preserving the legacy of PS4 games and offering BC when they are closing off servers for PS4 games already...
The bad side of service games and/or online components. Horrible.
Shame... it blossomed into a good game.
Dang, getting taken off the store is always a real shame.
I wonder is the delisting due to licensing issues?
I've been playing DC a lot more recently and it plays so well with a wheel.
Really, really dumb.
@MattSilverado Yeah, and people want a streaming future? Lol
Why take it down? It would seem to be a prime Plus offering. I own it all (main game, bikes and VR), but for those that only had the base freebie...
Oh well. This is the problem with online games. At least you can enjoy offline mode.
@MattSilverado this is the future of what online only games will be like, my game disc will now be a drinks coaster now.
@lacerz i don't understand why driveclub VR has to go, is that online aswell? that is a more recent title too.
@huyi
I'm not sure why they're being taken down, but you can play all of them offline. They will lose all online functionality though...the "club" part of DriveClub.
@lacerz 50% of the game is lost due to online, that's the whole point as to why online only, games as a service sucks.
This is rediculous. Iโm losing faith in Sonyโs online games. The servers are getting shut down too quickly for no reason. Sony needs to up their game because they are the worst publisher about this. Iโve recently played some PS3 games online. Sony is definitely being arrogant with online aspects of games.
I personally don't care at all, as I hate online gaming for the most part, but it's a disappointing move by Sony for those gamers who do like to play it online.
@lacerz Remember it launched as a Plus game back in 2014 after it got delayed.
This is really sickening of sony. I can't understand why is there a paid online, if game servers are still p2p and getting shut down after only a couple of years?? And delisting the game altogether from ps store... really, really sickening. Truly arogant sony is back and there's clearly happening something bad behind the scenes with visible corruption of their executives.
This is beyond absurd. De-listing it entirely!? What if someone just want's to play it offline??? Another one of the countless reasons I buy physical over digital. Not to mention didn't this game supposedly sell 2 million copies?? What a way to let a user-base down.
@MadAussieBloke I would take more single player games over online anyday this is also why i miss couch co op at least you wouldn't have to worry about servers going down
Well this is just stupid.
@BAMozzy There are more then a few PS4 server closures.
Yeah this is hugely disappointing. Great game and such a shame its not getting continued supported. I don't understand why they would take this off the store.
As someone who owns the game I Presume i'll still be able to delete and re-download the game after its taken off the store?
@Dange Delisted games should still appear in your download history.
@lacerz I was actually considering this for VR, how much content is in the base game? If it relies heavily on DLC and updates I'll look for another racing game. I'm not really interested in only play, I'm just looking for enough offline content.
Driveclubs season pass was epic
I think someone hit the nail with licensing.
The sad thing is that one day this will happen to Gran Turismo Sport (granted probably not quite so soon)
This is why I was so sore about gt sport being so poor at launch, yes they may keep adding to it but in years to come if you pick up a 2nd hand Ps4 and a bargain bin copy all you'll get it that broken launch game
Damn it lasted longer than I thought it would.
Not cool, Sony.
@Octane there is enough offline content. Itโs usually pretty cheap anyway. A lot of people complained about the graphics and the game making them feeling sick. For me, the graphics were decent and I never felt sick at all.
@Link41 How many big AAA games have been closed?
Very poor show from SONY, this is still the best racing game on the console for me and how they treated the devs was also out of order. Why not put the full game on PS plus? This hardly gives anyone faith in SONY's ongoing support for titles or indeed legacy content for PS5
At least it is appreciated that these games can still be played offline, recently a game for smartphones (yes smartphones) that I liked very much turn off their servers and the game is practically unplayable, and so many, and not only in smartphones, also in consoles and PC, many games end and as being online only, they are only useless spaces used in memory now...
@snakemake id be careful saying stuff like that mate. Its upsetting news for those that play online, but those kind of accusations could land you in hot water
Wonder how many are playing still...
Bit sad to see as had hours of fun with it, but have not touched it for about 2 years, due to GT Sport...
Despite the initially poor start, it blossomed into a very good arcade racer...
What a stupid decision, that includes the shutdown of Evolution Studios as well.
Driveclub turned into a great game in the end, with many content and including VR.
Imagine what Evolution could have done in Driveclub 2, it really had the potential to be a great series. Canโt forget about how a new MotorStorm would be amazing this generation.
Seriously Sony, what the hell are you thinking?
Losing exclusives, not supporting your games...WTF do you want?
I still play this now it's awesome and heading to the top 1000 in global position .
Arseholes it's a good game
If it's delisted from the store, does that mean it is just unavailable to buy? I have a digital copy. Can I still download after it has been removed?
This is such a shame.. Driveclub was the first platinum I got, still want to do Driveclub bikes.. after the initial mess this became a really good game, they could have made it something big if they continued to support it.
Okay, a freemium that can't go beyond the title screen without a server connection is one thing, but an offline retail first party game? Did they run out of a music license or something, too? ๐ฎ
Guess I'll keep an eye out for it on a summer sale before August. Inb4 folks like me ARE the reason.๐๐
The ignorance in these comments is astounding lol. But this game is so much fun really loved playing and shame to see it delisted. Had by far the best season pass of any game I can remember. Going to have to scoop up Bikes next time it goes on sale!
Sony does anything bad:
"wow. Arrogant Sony is back".
@General_Spiller of course.
It's times like these that make it hard to be a PlayStation fan. Genuinely angry by this news.
@Wormold Facts don't matter when it comes to internet outrage.
I wonder how long the online-only trophies take. I wouldn't mind it if they are pretty quick, and then you can do the offline at your leisure. That's why I strongly dislike online trophies; it makes it impossible to complete the game when the servers go down.
That's a shame. Haven't touched it in a while, but it's a fine game. I don't mind just having the single player stuff left.
May have to grab Bikes before it goes though.
Got to admit Sony seem to be closing down titles online parts very quickly 6 years isn't long when some games have been going on for more than that. Why not offer it on ps plus that might have put back some much needed player base or at least maybe send out an update so any trophies can be earned offline. It's why I didn't wish I bought and played MAG that didn't have a long life at all and getting into a game took around 20 mins half the dam time.
Bit of issue that so much of Driveclub is reliant on servers, it doesn't even have local multiplayer.
@General_Spiller Yeah, you can still download.
@Jaz007 6 years is soon? Its almost the whole geration.
@Nakatomi_Uk I think 6 years is quite a long time its almost a full generation.
@flaming_kaiser @Jaz007 @Nakatomi_uk @nyne11tyme It didn't come out 6 years ago. Driveclub came out 4 and a half years ago. Also worth pointing out DriveClub VR was 2 and a half years ago.
Bit of perspective here people. Sony were probably justified in closing Evolution (though I wish they didn't) because the game had such a disastrous launch to the point where Sony were practically giving the game and season pass away, so Sony wouldn't have made any profit on it. Plus the year long delay hurt things as well.
Then once GT Sport came out, for a lot of people Driveclub became rather redundant at that point.
As for why it's getting delisted? Most probably licencing, it costs quite a bit of money to keep these going and if Sony are seeing next to no money from it then it isn't worth it, problem is you can't keep selling them. It's why Guitar Heroes or Activision Marvel games get removed for the same reason.
At the end of the day it's the same as Gravity Rush 2 or PS3/Vita Plus games removed, if the number of people that are outraged by this we're the same of those that actually supported these in the first place then Sony most probably wouldn't be doing it.
@PS_Nation Not a stupid decision just business. I am willing to bet Sony lost alot of money with this game due to the disastrous launch. Having to pay licensing fees for the cars, I wouldn't be surprised if this game went into the red for them. Yes they did turn it around but by then the damage was done already.
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Thanks for understanding
@BAMozzy Sony frequently shut their own MLB games down when the newer versions come out. FIFA/NHL/NFL/NBA/WWE games all suffer the same fate when the newer version comes out to replace them. There is a full list of server closures over on psnprofiles and there has been quite a few since 2013.
I'd better get back to Bikes and try for that Platinum, then.
At least they've give a year's notice. Still a shame to gut one of the best racers of the generation, though.
@Link41 I don't play any of those annual 'sports' games but I can't recall any of those being switched off on PS4 from playing online. They certainly aren't switched off on Xbox - in fact you can play a few OG Xbox games online and a LOT of the XB360 era games too - most I believe if you own a XB360.
I would still be surprised if those games are switched off on PS4 - whether they are replaced by new editions or not. You don't get CoD or Battlefield games switched off...
Disgraceful, at least run it until a year or two into PS5 minimum.
@BAMozzy The fact of the matter is there a great deal of server closures.
https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/48142-known-upcoming-server-shutdowns/
@lacerz yeah now thereโs no club functionality itโll just be called โDriveโ from now on!
@Rob_230 Corruption in the sense of ruining/damaging, not bribing.
@Octane It has loads of offline content. I've never played it online (I refuse to pay for something that should be free), but the single player portion has kept me going for months and months.
I don't have the VR version though, but I can't imagine it's any different to the regular release.
@PS_Nation I dont know if it was stupid to shutdown the studio? I dont think the will shut it down if the games sell. Their last game also bombed so who knows. It always sucks when a studio has to shutdown.
@Jriibz I think they dont want to sell a game that is no longer complete i guess?
if the servers are running on something like Windows 2008 or 2012, then licensing/extended support costs can be colossal - if the active online playerbase isn't that large, it's probably not worth the investment or effort to upgrade the servers.
@Miiamoto That's good to know. It's going to be either GT Sport with the VR content, or Driveclub VR, but seeing how Driveclub has VR as part of the package, it makes me wanna go for that one. I just prefer it on disc rather than as a patch. It's pretty difficult to find it in store though, so I think I may have to buy it used.
@Frigate not tried GT sport yet then???
Fair play... But I reckon GT pis**s all over driveclub... You use a steering wheel?!?
@Frigate well said... Just bought F1 2017 but can't get into it! I had the driving force GT, bit sold it to buy a G29. You use the dfgt on PS4? You use a mod?
@Frigate Yeah... Think Sony were a bit cheeky cutting support for the previous Gen wheels... So no doubt they'll do it again! :-/
They are doing it wrong. Not just Sony, though, all companies eventually shutdown servers for their online games. GaaS is fine when done right, but publishers need to either include a dedicated offline mode such as GTA / GTA Online, or allow all of the game to work offline as-is, with CPU and local multiplayer replacing the online needs, when they decide to shutdown.
The worst thing about these games right now is that they're dead once the audience moves on! It doesn't matter if some people still like it or if others would like to try it years after release. So I believe they should move the game to offline prior to shutting down servers. Maybe even adding a P2P component so that servers aren't directly necessary for Online VS modes.
Most licensing deals with car manufacturers donโt last very long as weโve seen with the Forza games, shame though as new players will not be able to experience a excellent driving game
Forgive my ignorance on this issue, suppose PS5 goes backwards compatible with PS4, could i still install a disc and play on a PS4 & PS5? I realise nothing has been confirmed on BC, or anything else PS5, but i'm kinda worried about the future of gaming. Is it becoming a time period specific hobby whereby i had to 'be there' to appreciate [play] it.
I wonder if there's a market for a company that'd provide online services for "abandoned" software, games and apps alike. Probably...
Wow - thats very surprising. Still better than GT Sport though. Get while you can! I'll need to grab the Bikes portion.
I can believe they would shut the servers on it, but take it from the store entirely? It's not like you can only play it online. It's a great game by the way, I only have the Plus edition so will need to pick it up before August. Presume it won't be in the sale now though.
@tomassi
https://twitter.com/Rushy33/status/1112294854539788288?s=19
@JJ2 Yeah, that makes sense. It's a shame though. Pretty sure you can still buy old editions of FIFA on the store though? And their licensing would have change over that period of time, wouldn't it?
Maybe someone just needs to make another Driveclub but with generic cars. I wouldn't have an issue with that, but then cars per se don't interest me.
@tomassi
True. When you think of it though, next gen is right around the corner. It's funny that they shut it down in March 2020 with rumours of a possible PS5 launch.
I'm hoping Driveclub will be in a sale between now and August, but I'm guessing probably not after this announcement. Will pick it up before it goes though as it's a decent game to have in the locker!
Licensens are over thats why its delisted.
@Rick_Deckard No you can keep playing it. ๐
@BAMozzy Good luck with that wishful thinking.
@Rick_Deckard No problem. ๐
PT was a really sad move from Konami they wanted to get rid of anything Kojima.
Shame, love Drive Club, had a rocky start, but it turned into a great racing game though.
I assume the digital games and dlc will still be available to redownload for those who purchased them. Does anyone know for sure?
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